Vengeance of a Brother
by MrSparky6277
Summary: How far can you run from your past? Can you ever actually escape it, or will it always come back to haunt you? With a dark history and many enemies, Ike attempts to leave his past life with hopes to have a brighter future. Will he be able to do it? Or will past enemies and abandoned friends stop him from reaching his happy ending?
1. Chapter 1: Intro

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm pretty good myself, because I'm starting up the first story I've ever written. I don't have much to say, but encouraging words and constructive criticism are always welcome. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

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Lightning cracked against the sky as the rain freely poured down from the sky. While most would say this was terrible weather, Ike looked outside the car and thought it was calming. He saw it as ironic that the outside world would be peaceful as he and the man next to him caused chaos.

Ike brushed his blue hair with white tips out of his eyes, revealing their bright blue color. His hair was wavy and at a medium length, but always somewhat unkempt and laid flat. His olive colored skin made a nice match with his eyes. His clothing matched his ensemble of blue with its coloring. His brown, leather boots covered up his shins, until clean white pants began coving his body. A pale blue tunic covered his torso as well as his arms, up to his elbows. Black, skin tight, fingerless gloves ran up the rest of his arms, with leather guards over his hands and forearms. A leather shoulder guard rested on his left shoulder, with a leather strap running across his chest, holding the guard in place. A darker blue overcoat also covered the middle part of his torso above the two white belts around his waist. **(A/N: I modeled his clothing after Leonardo from Fire Emblem, if you want a visual representation.)**

The blue clad teen then looked down at his hands, which were currently wrapped around his weapons. They were billy club like weapons, with tang blades protruding out the ends on them. He wielded them by the wooden grips that each had. The one in his right hand was a bit larger than the one in his left. Ichor, the blade in his right hand, was a blood red color with veins of black running up and down the weapon. Nero, the blade in his left hand, was an oceanic blue color, with white veins running up and down the weapon. **(A/N: Kudos to anyone who knows the saying that his weapons are based off of.) **His weapons could also be put together to create a black and white bow named, Aeolus. The teen then let Ichor rest in his lap, while he touched the arrows in his quiver, recounting them.

"Has that become a ritual to you now?" The man driving the car asked. Ike looked over and studied the features of his partner, as he had many times before. He had pitch black hair which was hidden by the fedora he always wore. He eyes were never see due to his sun glasses, however they were a deep hazel color. He wore a black trench coat with a white under shirt, along with a pair of white pants. He had on a pair of black dress shoes to finish his black and white appearance. His weapons were nothing very special, just a pair of automatic handguns with large blades at the end barrel of the guns. He never named them, because he never used the same weapons continuously.

"Ya, I've done it on every other successful mission, so why break a habit?" Ike asked, the man next to him parked the car in an alley.

"Well, let's hope that habit gives us luck then." The driver replied as he opened his door and stepped out.

The pair walked a few blocks until they finally arrive at the warehouse. There was nothing really special about the place, it simply looked abandoned. The windows were smashed, the doors were boarded up, and it looked extremely dirty. Ike looked over at his companion and simply nodded before taking one giant leap and landing on top of the warehouse. His semblance, which he appropriately named, "Hops" gave him the ability to jump extremely high.

The plan wasn't out of the ordinary. James, the other man, would sneak into the building and scope the place out until he eventually found the target. Once he did, the man in black would very simply walk up to the target, meaning to get caught by the guards, and begin talking with him. Ike would just wait patiently until he was given the signal. It wasn't a very stealthy plan, but it was one that had worked time and again.

**-James's Position-**

James casually walked around the warehouse looking for an easy way in. The simply way would be to open up the front door and walk in, but if he did that he wouldn't get the chance to find out who the leader is. He also might be shot on sight, which was something he wanted to avoid. James walked around the building until he eventually saw an open window. The man in black took a few steps backwards, until he felt he was far enough away. He then charged at the wall and ran up it a short bit. At the peak of his run, James reached up and grabbed onto the bottom of the window and pulled himself in.

The man in black landed as silently as one could after falling 30 feet, however he still made a small thud sound. Around the other side of the crates he was behind, stood an unlucky guard who heard him land. The guard walked around the corner of the crates, only to have his neck snapped by James who was hiding behind the corner. Looking down at the guard James saw that all of the guards were dressed similarly. Each one was wearing a black suit, red tie, a black hat, and aviators.

Deciding it was time to start looking around James climbed up the stack of crates he was behind, went into a prone position, and began to look around. Nobody looked very different from the person next to him. He silently cursed, but continued to look around until eventually he saw one of the men pointing to the others. The man was a taller man standing around 6' 4" wearing the same suit as everyone else, except he had on a blue tie instead of the regular red one.

The voice of James's old friend, Eisenhower, rang through his head. "Remember people in charge love to point."

"Bingo," James whispered to himself as he stood up and ran over towards the leader.

**-Ike's Position-**

Ike was sitting in a crouched position looking down from one of the windows at the scene taking place. It only took a few minutes until he could see James crawl through a window and take cover behind a stack of crates. He watched as one of the finely dressed men walked around the side of the crate and had his head twisted backwards.

"James they said nothing lethal," Ike said to himself.

The blue haired teen continued watching as James found the target and sprinted towards him. None of the guards were able to think fast enough, and soon enough Ike's partner as holding the leader in the air with one hand, and had a pistol raised to his head in the other. The man with the blue tie then ordered his men to surround James. The two seemed to be having a short conversation until James flipped off his hat, giving Ike the signal to jump.

Ike took one deep breath, readied his weapons, and jumped.

**-In the Warehouse-**

"You know kid your pretty dumb," was the first thing the leader of the little group said to James.

"I think you simply underestimate me," James replied as he took off his hat.

"What's that suppo…" that was the only thing the he was able to say until Ike landed on the ground directly next to James.

The grunts formed a circle around the pair as their leader struggled in the man in black's grip. "You take 1 through 6 I'll take 7 through 12. Deal?" Ike whispered to his partner.

"Sounds good to me." James replied as he hurled the leader into the wall of the warehouse.

"Alright remember nothing lethal, I saw that little stunt you pulled."

"They said..."

"I know what they said just don't kill anyone."

"I'll try my best." The two then ran off to attack their half of the circle.

Ike ran up to the three goons at 7. Using Ichor he blocked the first ones strike and pushed the sword out of his hand. He then spun and used the flat of Nero to slam the side of the man's head knocking him out cold. He then spun on the ball of his left foot hitting the temple of the second goon's head with his right foot. As the last goon approached, Ike ran towards him and slid between the man's legs sweeping his feet while he was at it. Ike then kicked the mook head knocking him out.

The set of men who were positioned at 8, 9, and 10 grouped together. Three of them charged all at once hoping to overpower Ike. Seeing this, Ike waited until the last moment and jumped around 40 feet into the air. While the men were looking for where Ike went, the teen came sailing back down landing on two of the men. He then rolled and threw an elbow into the third's head. As the last six made a small circle around him, Ike could see James had dispatched 3 of the 6 groups, but was having trouble fighting the other three groups all together. While he was distracted one of the men ran up and sliced at Ike. Ike jumped backwards, but was still hit in the shoulder leaving a deep wound. Seeing that he had to end this fast Ike put Ichor and Nero together forming Aeolus. He then jumped backwards several feet, however while in the air he notched a lightning dust arrow and shot at the group of six. The arrow exploded stunning all of the men and making them incapable of fighting.

With only two groups left, Ike charged at the remaining six hoping to finish them off swiftly. He grabbed the back end of his bow and used it like a club hitting two of the men on the head knocking them out. Ike then reformed Ichor and Nero again and held them like Billy Clubs. Two more men came onto both of his sides hoping to flank him. As they both swung as him he jumped into the air again. The two men swung before reaching Ike and ended up knocking the other out cold. With only two left the blue eyed teen plummeted back towards the ground landing on one goon and hitting the other in the head with the wooden end of Nero. Satisfied with his work Ike looked back over to James seeing that his partner was fighting his last group.

Suddenly, a shot rang out in the massive warehouse. Looking over at the door to the warehouse Ike saw the leader of the group holding a semi-automatic rifle with the barrel smoking. He shot James.

Things seem to start moving in slow motion. He could only watch as James feel to the ground, as the life escaped his body. The goons around him smiled as if they had won in some way, but Ike knew for a fact that they hadn't. He wouldn't let them.

With an evil smile on his face the man lowered the gun and said to Ike, "I told him you were foolish to come here. Give my regards to your boss." After saying that the man ran out the door and away into the night.

Pure anger and hate ran through Ike's body. Something in his mind snapped. He could feel the hot blood rushing through his body. His pupils dilated and an animalistic instant kicked in. He no longer cared what he was told to do. Nobody in that warehouse would leave without being in a body bag. It seemed like someone else was in control of Ike's body almost as if he wasn't himself anymore. It almost felt like an out of body experience. For some reason he couldn't control himself anymore. He wasn't him.

Ike sprinted towards the last three men in the warehouse, who were visibly shaking. He impaled the first man with Ichor through the stomach. He then lifted the goon in the air and threw him at his comrades. While distracted by the flying corpse heading towards them neither of the goons saw Ike jump back up into the air. Once the body hit the men, Ike came back down to the ground landing in between the two men stabbing the one on the left in the chest with Ichor and the one on the right through the head with Nero.

Seeing nobody left standing Ike ran over to James's body hoping to spend a few final moments with him. However, by the time he got there James was already gone. Tears filled Ike's eyes as he slowly lifted James's body and walked out the front door. He set James down in front of the door, notched a fire filled dust arrow, and shot into the warehouse with hopes that the place would burn to the ground. He then picked James back up and dialed a number into his scroll.

A man with a gruff voice picked up the call with a simple, "Do you have the target?"

Ike responded by saying, "No he got away." Ike then paused for a second. "I burned down the building. Everyone inside is dead."

"You did what? What did I say? Don't kill unless you have to."

"I don't care!" The teen yelled back. "They killed James. I'm done with you and your organization. Keep the money from the job. I don't want it anymore."

With that Ike hung up on the man hoping he wouldn't have to see him again. He took James's body to a hill they used to go to when they were children. He buried his partner there and had a small ceremony for him. As he walked away from the grave he saw a girl a bit younger than him in a red cloak kneeling in front of a grave. He wanted to comfort the girl, but decided to leave her in peace. There had been enough sorrow in Ike's life for a while, and a bit of confusion. The only thing Ike took to remember his companion were the two pistols James used and a pair of sunglasses leaving the fedora hanging off the grave stone.

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**Well, this is kind of the foundation for the entire story. I don't have a set schedule for when I'll update, I'll just update as soon as I can. Anyways, don't forget to leave a review or send me a pm so I can read your feedback. Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2: A Fateful Meeting

**Hello everyone, how are you all today? I'm fine myself, thank you for asking. Anyways, I think I did a bit better one this one, just because I didn't rush it as much. Also, It's 2 in the morning and the Monster I drank is running out so I'm going to bed. Night everybody. Hope you all enjoy the next chapter, and don't forget to review, fav, and follow.**

**UPDA****TE: I've revamped the end of this chapter, because I felt it was a bit rushed. A few spelling and grammar issues have also been fixed.**

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"How do I end up in these situations?" That was the only thing on Ike's mind as he was shooting arrows at a dust plane next to the big bad wolf's worst nightmare and the world's scariest math teacher.

**-Streets of Vale, Minutes earlier-**

It had been a few months since the incident at the warehouse, as Ike called it. He had a rough time going through life after losing James. He had nobody to turn to, however he was able to pull through and leave his past behind him. Currently, Ike was seventeen and looked almost no different other than he was about an inch taller and more muscular now.

Ike had just walked out of the Sunrise Cafe and was walking down the street with a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll in his hand. He was actually having a rather pleasant night, that was until a girl who looked like the Grimm Reaper and some other guy came flying through the window of a dust shop.

As the girl stood up, thing first thing the blue haired teen noticed was that she was holding a giant scythe. The girl spun her weapon around with a flourish, sticking in the ground and clicked off what looked like to be a pair of headphones. She looked vaguely familiar, but Ike couldn't remember where from.

Ike heard a man from inside the store say, "Well don't just stand there, get her!"

While Ike didn't recognize the man he did recognize the goons. Each dressed in a finely pressed suit, red tie, black hat, and a pair of aviators. The same men who helped kill James.

As soon as Ike saw the men something in his mind snapped again. Only this time, he was in control of his body. His reflexes seemed to sharpen and the only thing he wanted to do was destroy these thieves. Instead of killing them, he'd make sure these men would rot in a cell. As the men charged red riding hood, Ike charged the men.

He pulled Aeolus off of his back while he dashed towards the group. Right before one of the men was about to shoot Red in the back, Ike tackled the man to the ground and knocked him out cold with a smack to the head with his bow. Ike rolled out of the tackle, pulling the arrow out along with him in time to see the ring leader climbing up a ladder of a building. The man wore a black bowler hat with a red trim on it. He also wore a white jacket and appeared to have orange hair, however the hat made it hard to see. Knowing he might miss his chance, Ike notched his arrow and fired at the man aiming for the man's right leg. However, the red head must've somehow known the arrow was heading towards him, because he turned while on the ladder and smacked the arrow out of the air with a cane in his hand. With a slight tip of his hat the man in the bowler called out, "Nice try, kid," and pointed the end of his cane at Ike. The enraged teen was slightly confused, until a firework like projectile fired out the end of the cane. The archer jumped up into the air in an attempt to avoid the explosion, but was still caught slightly.

Ike flew into the side of the building the robber had been climbing and hit it face first leaving a rather large indent. He was able to grab onto the ledge of the building and pull himself up just in time to see the red reaper have another firework shot at her from the man in the bowler hat, who was now standing inside of a Bullhead. The girl prepared to be hit but never was, because an older woman with blond hair stood in front of Red and stopped the firework with some kind of shield.

"Hmm, I guess she's a Huntress." Thought the tang wielding teen.

The woman then swung her riding crop through the air sending purple projectiles towards the bullhead. Each projectile hit its mark shaking the plane vigorously and causing the orange haired man to stumble around. The thief then retreated to the front of the ship he was in. Unwilling to let up, the blond Huntress then swung her riding crop again causing a dark cloud to form over the bullhead. She then brought her hand down sending ice spikes falling from the cloud impaling the bullhead.

A woman in red came back and took the place of where the man with the cane was moments ago. Her face was concealed by the darkness, however Ike could still see her red dress and high heels. The woman threw a fireball at the Huntress, but it was easily blocked by the blond. Seeing that he needed to help Ike fired off multiple ice arrows at the airborne vehicle, however they did nothing as the world second scariest math teacher incinerated them before they even got close.

The woman in the red dress then brought her hand up and the fragments of fire on the ground around the blond Huntress erupted into an exploded like a volcano nearly hitting the woman. Knowing that he was just wasting ammo, Ike separated Aeolus back into Ichor and Nero and charged at the end of the building.

While the fight raged on, the blond Huntress collected shards of the blown up building and made them into a spear like spire with a purple glow around each fragment. The Huntress shot the spire at the Bullhead only for the ship to jerk slightly deflecting all of the shards. The riding crop wielding Huntress then separated the spear into multiple spears in an attempt to hit the bullhead again, however the woman in the red dress burnt the shards into a crisp.

Seeing that as his opening, Ike jumped as high as he could off the building. He heard another explosion behind him and assumed his foe had tried the volcano trick again. He barely grabbed onto the ledge of the bullhead, and as he pulled himself up inside of it, he was met with an evil smile from the fireball thrower who then kicked him in the face. The archer plummeted from the sky and into an alley, where he landed with a thud. Knocking him unconscious.

Ike finally woke up to the face of whom he assumed was Red herself. The only thing he really noticed was that she had giant silver eyes. "Hey! You're finally up!" Was the first thing that the girl said to him.

"Umm... Hi?"

"You need help up?" Red offered as she held out her hand.

"Ya I'd appreciate it." Ike took the girl's hand as she pulled him up from the ground.  
"I'm Ruby by the way. Ruby Rose."

"Ike Mers, it's a pleasure to meet you." Ike responded as he smiled at the girl. For some reason she gave off a comforting feel.

"Well, anyways Glynda Goodwitch wanted to see us."

"Who?" Asked Ike

"The blond Huntress that helped us."

"Oh, you mean the world's scariest math teacher."

Ruby giggled at the joke, and responded by saying, "Ya her."

**-Inside some weird room-**

"I hope you realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly." Glynda sternly said to Ike and Ruby. Ike looked over at Ruby who looked like a kicked puppy. Despite the way Red looked Mrs. Goodwitch continued. "Both of you put yourselves and others in great danger."

In an attempt to defend Ike and herself Ruby called out. "They started it!"

"You know she's right we were only trying to help," The blue haired teen added.

"If it were up to me, you'd both be sent home. With a pat on the back." This brightened the scythe wield up a little bit.

However, the only thing going through Ike's head was, "Wait for it."

Glynda finished by saying, "And a slap on the wrist." After a brief pause she then slapped her ride crop against the table, earning a small cry from Ruby.

"That's what I was waiting for." The archer thought.

Glynda finished by saying, "But, there is someone here who'd like to meet you." She then moved out of the way to show a gray haired man, who wore glasses and a black coat. In his left hand he had a mug containing what Ike assumed was coffee and a plate of cookies in his other hand. The man looked at both Ruby and Ike, but turned his attention to Ruby.

"Ruby Rose," the man started. "You, have silver eyes." The girl looked confused by the obvious statement and only got out a short umm, before the gray haired man cut her off by saying, "So! Where did you learn to do this?" He then gestured his head towards the scroll the Glynda was holding. On the screen Ike could see Ruby and him fighting, however the jacket wearing man seemed to care more about her than him. However, this was disproven when the stranger said, "And you young man. What's your name?"

Ike was slightly caught off guard, because he paid little to no attention the entire time he was there, but he seemed to care now. "My name is Ike Mers."

"Well Mr. Mers, your actions are quite impressive as well."

"Thanks." The archer responded.

"So, I suppose I could ask you the exact same question that I asked Mrs. Rose."

"W-Well I learned at Signal Academy." Ruby barely squeaked out.

"Personal experience," was the only thing Ike said.

"They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed? And you simply learned to fight like this by yourself? I would like to learn far more about you Mr. Mers."

"Well, one teacher in particular." Ruby added.

"And yes I did," Ike calmly said. "And if I see something in it for me I'll be more than happy to tell you about myself."

At this the made the glasses wearer finally put down the plate of cookies. Ruby cautiously ate a cookie. After seeing that nothing happened she started to devastate the plate. Ike tried to eat one of the cookies, but Ruby simply slapped his hand away and gave him a look that said. "Try it again and you'll lose that hand."

"Alright I'm not trying that again." Ike thought to himself.

"It's just that I've only seen one scythe wielder of that skill before. A dusty, old crow."

Red nodded in agreement and tried to say something, but the only words that came out were. "Thash muh unkul." The man looked at the girl slightly scolding and slightly confused. Ruby swallowed the cookies she had in her mouth and repeated her sentence. "Sorry, that's my Uncle Qrow. He's a teacher at Signal! I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing, and now I'm all like hooooowwwwaaaahhhh."

Ruby then made, what can only be assumed as, ninja sounds and karate chopped the air a few times before Ike put his hand over her mouth and said, "Yes Ruby, I think he understands."

"Yes I do understand. So, what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?" The gray haired man asked responded.

"Well… I want to be a Huntress." Said Ruby.

"You want to slay monsters?" The stranger asked.

"Yeah! I only have two more years of training left at Signal. And then I'm going to apply at Beacon. You see, my sister's starting there this year and she's trying to become a Huntress, and I'm trying to become a Huntress cause I wanna help people. And my parents always taught me to help people, so I thought 'I might as well make a career out of it!' I mean the police are alright, but Hunters and Huntresses are just so much more romantic and exciting and really just, gahhhhh, ya know?" Ruby said so fast that you could swear she never took a breath the entire time.

"Do you know who I am?" Asked the man.

"You're Professor Ozpin."

"Hello." The man now identified as Ozpin said.

"Nice to meet you." Ruby replied.

Ike butted into the conversation by saying, "Wait like the headmaster of Beacon Professor Ozpin?"

"The one and only!" Ruby answered.

Ike was completely taken off guard by this, especially because he originally thought the man was just a police officer. While Ike was in his stunned state Ruby and Ozpin continued. "You want to come to my school?" Ozpin questioned.

"More than anything." Ozpin looked over to Goodwitch as if to asked permission to accept Beacon, but the only response was a short, "Hmmph."

"Very well then. Welcome to Beacon Ms. Rose."

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you. I promise you won't regret this decision. Yang's going to be so..." And the rest Ruby said came out so fast it couldn't be understood.

"You're quite welcome Ms. Rose. Professor Goodwitch will you please escort Ms. Rose outside while I talk to Mr. Mers?"

Glynda didn't respond but simply lead Ruby outside the door.

As soon as the door closed Ozpin looked at Ike, however it seemed like he was looking through him instead of at him. "And what about you Mr. Mers?"

Finally shaken from his entranced state Ike responded by saying, "What about me?"

"Would you like to attend Beacon as well?"

"I can't think of anything that'd make me happier."

"Very well, however we do need some information on you before we can accept you."

"Why do you need that?" Ike questioned.

"Well normally we have student transcripts or we can research students, however you have done quite well at being untraceable. So well that we can't find information on you."

"Then I've done my job. What do you want to know about me?"

"Let's start off easily. Where is your family?"

"They aren't around anymore, sir. My father worked in the black market, and was eventually killed there. My mother died from the grief that it brought on, leaving me and my brother to fend for ourselves."

"And where did you learn to fight how you can?"

"Like I said personal experience. My brother and I learned to fight at a young age to protect ourselves. Eventually we started working for a man named Victor who provided us enough money to live, but a lot of the work wasn't looked upon too gladly by the police."

"And what happened then?"

"Well I left the group months ago. I realized that there wasn't a reason for me to stay anymore."

"What happened to your brother?"

That was the question Ike was hoping he wouldn't have to answer. While losing his parents did hurt Ike it was the loss of his brother that hit him the hardest. It could've been because he was the last bit of family Ike had left, or maybe because of how close the two were. All Ike knew was that losing his brother is what changed him the most.

"My brother died on one of the missions Victor sent us on. I'd prefer not to get too far into that topic, but that was the mission that I left afterwards."

"What was his name?"

"James."

"Alright, thank you Mr. Mers. I'm sorry that I brought back bad memories. Welcome to Beacon. I look forward to seeing you harness the potential you have."

"Thank you sir." After Ike said this, he got up and left the room. He was ready to be able to forget his past like he had tried to. He was excited to start his new life at Beacon. Little did he know, people don't give up grudges easily, and your past is a difficult thing to run from.

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**I'll be sticking to the cannon story for a little while, before venturing off on my , I'm tired and I'll start working on chapter three tomorrow. Hopefully work doesn't kill me, and hopefully I can get the next chapter up quickly. Don't forget to leave a pm and a review for I can read your feedback. Night everybody!**


	3. Chapter 3: New Friends

**Well I got this done much quicker than I thought. The next chapter might be a bit slower, because I just bought Watch Dogs. What an amazing game. In other news, I have important news at the bottom A/N so go ahead and check that out once you finish reading. So, don't forgot to review, fav, follow and all that other stuff.**

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"Oh, I can't believe my baby sister's going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!"

Ike watched on as Ruby's blond sister brought the poor girl in for what looked like more of a death grip instead of a hug. The sight brought a small smile to his face.

Ruby was able to squeak out, "Please stop." As the last bits of air escaped her lungs. Ruby had the most pitiful look on her face.

The blond let go of her sister and somewhat skipped back as she said, "But I'm so proud of you!"

It was at this point Ike decided to take a step back from the sisters and look around a bit. As he walked around the plane. A few people stood out from the rest.

There was a taller boy with orange hair wearing armor and wielding a mace. It looked like the only thing combat wise working for him was his strength.

He looked to his left and saw a blond, somewhat skinny boy leaning over a bucket. "I'm going to guess motion sickness. Poor kid," Ike thought to himself.

He could also see a hyperactive girl talking the ear off of a boy with long black hair with a magenta strip in it.

There was a raven haired girl reading a book in the corner, but he couldn't see what the title was.

What surprised him was to see Pyrrha Nikos on the ship.

He could also see Wiess Schnee, the heiress to the Schnee fortune. "Looks like this could be an interesting couple of years," Ike thought.

He then turned his attention back to the sisters right as Ruby was saying something about normal knees and how she didn't want people thinking she was special.

"Anyways, what's wrong with being moved up a couple of years?" The blond sister asked.

"It's just that I don't really know anyone here other than you." Ruby answered.

"Well what about what's his name?"

"My name is Ike. Ike Mers." Ike said inserting himself into the conversation. He then held out his hand for Ruby's sister to take.

"Yang Xiao Long. Nice to meet you." Yang said ending her sentence with a wink and shaking Ike's hand.

Ike then turned his attention to the news reporter on the TV. "The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities." The woman said.

"Hey isn't that…" Ruby said before Ike finished her sentence by saying.

"The guy we met the night we met? Ya that's him." Ike made a mental note to research the man later, because he was working with people who helped kill James.

A mug shot was displayed of Torchwick as the news broadcaster continued. "If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you Lisa."

"Ya I can help you with that. Last time he was seen he was flying away after his friend gave me a nice taste of her heels." Ike said a bit bitterly.

"Calm down there hot stuff, you'll get another chance at him." Yang said trying to calm the tang wielding teen down.

"Thank you, Cyril." Lisa said. "In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony."

"Those poor misguided Faunus," Ike thought. Lisa continued to talk, until the image of the news turned off and was replaced by a hologram of Professor Goodwitch.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon!" The hologram started.

Yang asked, "Who's that?"

Ike started to answer by saying, "That's Prof…" But was cut off by the hologram saying, "My name is Glynda Goodwitch."

"Oh," was the only thing Yang said.

Glynda continued though. "You are amongst a privileged few, who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy!"

"Real humble," Ike whispered to Ruby. She responded with a quiet giggle.

"Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, now, it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and training to protect our world." After saying that the hologram faded away to reveal an amazing sight of Vale.

"Wow!" Ruby yelled as she ran up to the window. Many other students, including Ike had the same thought as the approached the window to look outside. "Look, you can see Signal from here," Ruby pointed out.

"That's a training school. Kinda like training to come to Beacon." Yang whispered to Ike.

"Ya, I figured as much," Ike said back as he walked up next to Ruby. He had to admit, it was truly awe inspiring.

"I guess home isn't too far away after all!" Ruby continued.

"Beacon's our home now," Yang responded.

"She's right. We're gonna be here for a while. Or at least I hope so." Ike added.

Some pretty foul sounds could be heard for the blond haired boy Ike saw before. "I think the plane ride is finally getting to him," Ike commented.

"I guess the view isn't for everyone." Yang added.

"It was a nice moment while it lasted though! I wonder who we're gonna meet." Ruby questioned.

"I just hope they're better than Vomit Boy."

"Yang be nice. Motion sickness is actually pretty common." Ike scolded.

"Yes mom." Yang said as she stuck out her tongue. Ike just rolled his eyes at this.

"OH YANG GROSS! YOU HAVE PUKE ON YOUR SHOES!" Ruby called out.

"Grossgrossgrossgrossgrossgrossgrosss," the blond boy repeated over and over again.

"Get away get away! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Ruby called out as she ran away.

Ike couldn't help but laugh at the activity of the three, until the poor boy got a bit too close for comfort. Ike then backed away from the sisters and Vomit Boy, as he continued to laugh.

The rest of the trip was rather uneventful. Yang, Ruby, and Ike talked about whatever came to mind, which included weapons, music, personal hobbies, and other things of that sort.

Eventually the plane landed and students began piling out, the first of which was Vomit Boy, who kissed the ground a few times before running to the nearest trash can to repeat his actions on the plane. Ruby, Yang, and Ike walked up to the front of the campus, and were amazed by what they saw. Beacon was huge to say the least. The walkway to the campus was beautifully decorated with flowers and lamp posts. As for the architecture, Beacon looked more like a castle with giant green lights in the tallest spire for which it was named for.

"The view from Vale's got nothing on this." Yang commented as Ruby looked more preoccupied by something else. This something else would be weapons. Ruby looked like a kid in a candy shop as people began to walk by.

"OOH! OOH! GUYS LOOK! THAT KID HAS A COLLASPEABLE STAFF! AND SHE HAS A FIRE SWORD!" At this point Ruby seemed to float away in an entranced state until Yang and Ike grabbed onto her and pulled her back into reality.

"Easy there little sis. They're just weapons."

"Just weapons?! They're an extension of ourselves! They're part of us! Ohh, they're so cool!"

"Well why can't you swoon over your own weapon? Aren't you happy with it?" Yang asked.

"Ya, your scythe is pretty awesome." Ike added.

"Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose!" As she said this Red pulled out her giant scythe. "I just really like seeing new ones. It's like meeting new people, but better." She finished her statement as she looked down a bit ashamed.

Yang reached over to pull Ruby's hood over her eyes, but Ike stopped her before she could. "Yang, what did I say about being mean." Ike said with a slightly scolding tone.

"Aww, you're no fun." Yang replied as she crossed her arms and made a pouting face. "Anyways, why don't you try making some of your own friends, Ruby?"

"Why do I need friends when I have you?" Ruby replied.

"Well actually my friends are here. Gotta go catch up. 'Kay, see ya, bye." Yang seemed to say all of this in one breath as a group of people formed around her and they took off towards the school.

As they left Ike was completely confused and Ruby seemed dizzy and begun to spin around asking questions like, "Are we supposed to go to our dorm? Where is our dorm? Do we have a dorm?" Ruby begun to go dangerously close to a luggage cart full of suitcases. Ruby finally said, "I don't know what I'm doing." As she began to fall.

"That won't end well," Ike thought. He acted quickly and caught Ruby right before she hit the cart. "And….. up you go." Ike said as he brought the 15 year-old back up to her feet.

"Thanks Ike." Ruby said as she shook herself out of her dazed state.

"Anytime Ruby." Ike had to admit Ruby was kind of cute when she was flustered. This thought was interrupted by a very upset white haired girl.

"What do you think you're doing!?" The girl asked as she stomped up to the pair.

"Uh… sorry." Ruby said slightly baffled.

"Sorry? Do you have any idea the damage you could've caused?" Ruby tried to help by pushing the cart over to the girl, but the icy girl quickly grabbed it from her and said, "Gimme that!" The girl then opened one of the cases and continued her lecture. "This is Dust mined and purified from the Schnee Quarry." Ruby looked completely confused at this point, but the scolding only continued. "What are you brain dead? Fire, water, lightning, energy!" The still unnamed girl yelled at Ruby as she shook a vial of Dust with a bit coming out after every shake. "Are you even listening to me!?" As the cloud of escaped Dust floated towards Ruby, Ike could tell it was acting just like pepper.

"Oh no." Ike said right as Ruby sneezed exploding the cloud of Dust, which caused Ruby and Ike to fall onto their backs.

"Unbelievable!" The girl yelled. "This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!" At this point Ruby was looking like a kicked puppy.

"I'm really, really sorry," Ruby said in an attempt to defend herself.

"You complete dolt! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon? This isn't your ordinary combat school! It's not just sparring and practicing you know! We're here you learn to fight monsters! So, watch where you're going!"

Ruby finally snapped at this point and said, "Hey, I said I was sorry, Princess!"

"It's Heiress, actually." Said a voice from behind Ike. He turned around and instantly recognized the person. It was the girl he had saw on the ship, the one who had raven hair and was reading. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee dust company."

"Schnee? Isn't that the biggest dust company in all of Remnant?"

"Yep." The raven haired girl said.

"Meaning you're…" Before Ike could finish the mystery girl cut him off.

"Rich, an heiress, probably loaded with dust? Yes." The raven haired girl said.

"Finally someone notices me. Took you long enough." Wiess said.

"Ya but that's the same company that's famous for its sketchy business partners." Ike commented.

"And its controversial labor force." The girl with the bow said. Wiess tried to stick up for herself and for the company, but was left speechless. Weiss's babbling cause Ruby to let out a small giggle.

Seeing that she had lost Wiess stormed off after saying, "Ugh."

"I promise I'll make this up to you!" Ruby called after her, but if ice princess heard her then she ignored Ruby.

"Hey, thanks for the…" Ike said as he turned to face the mystery girl, however she was already walking off. "Help," he said finishing off his sentence.

"I'm here for five minutes and this happens." Ruby said as she fell to the ground.

"Well at least you still have me." Ike said as he sat down next to her.

Ike heard someone walk up to them. When he looked up it was another familiar face, or at least figure, because last time he had saw him the boy was leaning over a trashcan.

"Hey." The boy said drawing the attention of both Ike and Ruby. The boy offered a hand for both Ike and Ruby. "I'm Jaune." The blond boy finished.

"Ruby."

"Ike."

Ruby and Ike both accepted one of his hands. Ruby was pulled up first, but when Ike went to pull himself up, he accidently pulled Jaune down to the ground.

"Opps, sorry Jaune." Ike said a bit sheepishly.

"It's ok." Ike then pushed himself off the ground and helped Jaune up. "Thanks." The blond said.

"Anytime." Ike replied with a smile.

Ruby then giggled which caught the attention of Ike. "What?" He asked.

"Aren't you the guy who threw up on the plane?"

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**Alright so important news time. I can't draw so if anyone wants to make a cover for me that'd be great and I'd be willing to throw in an OC of yours into the story, and maybe some other perks too. Well I have nothing else to say, so have a nice day everyone, I know I will, because I don't have to work today.**


	4. Chapter 4: The Welcome Wagon

**Well I'm done with Watch Dogs. I won't ruin the ending (it was good though). have to work today so that sucks. Oh well I have to make money some way until I get hired at Rooster Teeth (Like that will happen). Also, I think I gave myself a concussion coming up my stairs yesterday so that's not good. It's a long story on how it happened. I'll explain if you ask in a PM. So hopefully I don't actually have one. More important stuff will be in the bottom AN so here's chapter 4.  
**

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"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on." Jaune said defending himself as the trio walked along.

"He's right Ruby. He just happens to be the only person at Beacon who has it." Ike said helping Jaune.

"Look, I'm sorry. Vomit-boy is just the first thing that came to mind."

"And what about if I called you Crater-face?"

"Hey I was in that explosion too." Ike said.

"Ya, but you didn't cause it." Vomit-boy replied.

"Good point."

"Hey that was an accident!" Crater-face said defending herself.

"Well, the name's Jaune Arc." Jaune said pointing towards himself. "Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, and the ladies love it."

"Do they really?" Asked the youngest of the three.

"They will! Well I hope they will…"

"That means they don't," Ike said causing Ruby to giggle. Jaune looked like a kicked puppy at this point so Ike walked over to him and threw his arm around him. "Don't worry Jaune my boy, I'm sure you'll be fending off women with a stick."

"Thanks Ike." The blond said a bit peppier.

"Anytime, my friend."

The trio walked in silence until Ruby broke the silence by saying, "Sooooo, I have this." She then pulled out Crescent Rose, which caused both males to back up.

"Whoa, is that a scythe?"

"It's also a gun." The frosted haired teen whispered to Jaune. "Well I have these." Ike said as he flourished Ichor and Nero.

"Wow." Jaune said a bit stunned by his friend's weapons.

"Ya, they form together to make a bow." Ike said as he formed Aeolus.

"What do you have Jaune?" The girl in the red dress asked genuinely interested.

"Well I have this sword." Jaune said as he pulled out his sword.

"Ooooo," Ike and Ruby said together.

"Ya, I've got a shield too." Jaune said as his sword's sheath unfolded into a shield.

"So what do they do?" Ruby asked as she tapped his shield, however this caused the shield to refold. This, in turn, surprised the uncoordinated teen who lost his grip on the shield and juggle it around while it unfolded and refolded, until he was finally able to get a hold of it.

"The shield gets smaller, so that when I'm done using it I can just put it away."

"Doesn't it still weigh the same though?" Ike asked.

"Ya, it does." Jaune replied a bit disheartened.

"Well I like it. Not many people have a respect for the classics nowadays."

"Ya, where'd you get it anyways?" Mr. Mers asked.

"Well it's a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used it in the war."

"Kinda sounds like an heirloom to me." Ruby added in.

"I guess it kinda is." The blond replied.

"I still like it." Ike said trying to cheer Jaune up succeeding just a bit.

"So why'd you help us out back in the courtyard anyways?" Ruby asked.

"Why not? My mom always says, 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.'"

"Hey, where are we going anyways?" Ike asked.

"I don't know I was following you guys." Ruby answered.

"You think there's a directory, or maybe a food court?" Jaune asked which caused both Ruby and Ike to laugh a bit. "I'll just take that as a no."

The group walked on for a few minutes until eventually Ruby had an idea. "Hey Ike, can't you jump really high?" seeing where Ruby was going with this the rabbit like teen sprang up into the air and was able to catch a glimpse of a group of students walking into the assembly hall.

Ike landed somewhat gracefully and said, "I think we're meant to go to assembly hall. It's just around the corner." Ike then took the lead of the group, and the other two began following him.

"How'd you do that?" Jaune asked.

"It's my semblance."

"Your what?"

"My semblance. I'll explain it to you later."

"Alright then." Jaune said as they rounded the corner and entered the massive hall.

The students had separated into left a right halves. With one obvious blond standing on the right side.

"Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!" Yang yelled.

"Hey, I gotta go! I'll see you guys after the ceremony!" Ruby said right before she left.

"Well I guess it's just you and me then Jaune. Let's go find a spot." Ike said as he moved to the left side of the hall.

"So did you and Ruby actually explode?" Jaune asked.

"Ya, you didn't see it?" Ike replied.

"No I only saw you two fall to the ground. So how'd it happen?"

"Well Ruby knocked over Wiess Schnee's luggage over, and that upset Wiess. So, after some yelling and whatnot Wiess shook a vial of dust in Ruby's face, which caused her to sneeze, which exploded the dust in our face."

"Oh, who's Wiess Schnee?"

As soon as Jaune said this Weiss yelled, "YOU!" from halfway across the room, but it still drew Ike's and Jaune's attention.

"That would be Wiess." Ike said.

"She looks…." Jaune said.

"Angry?" Ike said finishing his blond counterpart's sentence. "Ya she always looks that way."

"I was going to say beautiful, but angry is a better description."

Wiess then pointed at Jaune and said something. "I'm pretty sure ice princess over there just insulted you." Ike commented.

"Should we stop them?" Jaune asked.

"Nah they'll be fine. And here comes Ozpin anyways." The tang wielder said.

The headmaster cleared his throat into the microphone to silence everyone and then began. "I'll keep this brief. You have traveled here today…" And that's the point where Ike decided that the speech had no real point, and tuned Professor Ozpin out. He became bored very quickly and began just thinking to himself.

"I wonder if I'll meet anyone else new here? Well there is still my teammates. Maybe I can be on a team with Jaune, Ruby, and Yang. I highly doubt that'll happen though, because look how many people are here. I guess there's always a chance. I'm kinda surprised Jaune made it in. No offense, but he's pretty clumsy and doesn't have a ranged weapon at all. Maybe he's more of a defensive guy." Ike then looked over at Jaune who was listening to the end Ozpin's speech. Hanging onto every word the man said. "Nahh, he's not big enough to be a defensive person. I guess I'll learn more about him later. I'm going to guess Yang has some kind of hidden weapon somewhere, and I've already seen Ruby in action. Ya know when I come to think about it Ruby's kinda cute. The way she-" Ike's train of thought was then cut off by Jaune talking.

"Well that was kind of… weird."

"What was?" the teen with blue hair asked.

"The speech! Didn't you hear him!"

"Oh Monty no! He said something about traveling here and I got bored. I'm sure it was just something about potential and knowledge."

"No it wa-well I guess it actually was." The blond said slightly surprised by his friend's guess. "Did you at least hear what Professor Goodwitch said?" Jaune's answer was a simply shake of the head. "You're unbelievable. We're sleeping in the ballroom tonight, and initiation begins tomorrow."

"Well I guess it's a good thing I have you then." Ike said throwing his arm around Jaune's shoulder. "Let's go get some good spots."

As Ike and Jaune walked by the sisters and an unpleasant heiress, Jaune leaned in and said to Weiss, "I'm a natural blond you know."

Weiss simply face palmed and shook her head. Ike decided to help his blond friend by dragging him away, despite Jaune's protests.

"Aww come on I could've had her."

"Jaune, I'm going to put this very simply. If she gets the chance to fight you, she'll kill you." Ike then pulled Jaune into the ballroom, where they went to get changed.

**-Later-**

"Oh you are NOT wearing that." Ike protested as Jaune stepped out of the changing room in footy pajamas.

"What? They're comfortable." Jaune replied

"Ya, they'll also get you made fun of and tormented for a long time. Here put these on." Ike tossed Jaune a pair of sweatpants and a white T-shirt. Ike himself was wearing a pair of comfortable shorts.

"I guess these do look a bit less… What's the word I'm looking for?"

"Childlike? Stupid?"

"Ridiculous?" A boy said from behind Jaune. Ike looked over and noticed he was the boy with the magenta stripe in his hair he had seen on the plane. The tang wielder also noticed the boy's eyes were the same color as his hair.

"Ya thanks…"

"Ren. My name is Lie Ren. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Jaune. Nice to meet you too."

"Ike Mers. I'm guessing you're a first year too."

"Yes I am." Ren said as the three walked out of the changing rooms.

"So did you come here alone or do you have friends from before you came here?" The blond boy asked.

"Well I do have my friend…"

"NORA!" The bubbly orange haired girl Ike had saw early yelled out.

Ike then leaned into Ren and whispered, "I'm guessing that's Nora."

"Yes, yes it is." The magenta eyed teen whispered back.

"So, what are your names?" Nora asked.

"I'm Jaune." Jaune then stuck out his hand for Nora to shake, which he soon regretted as she shook his entire body as she accepted his hand.

"I'm Ike. I think I'll skip the handshake though."

"Alright then." The only girl in the group said with a giant grin on her face.

"Well, have fun with these two Jaune. I'm going to go find Ruby and Yang." Ike then took off leaving only a cloud of dust before Jaune could say anything.

"Who's Yang and Ruby?" Nora asked.

**-In the Ballroom-**

"It's like a big slumber party!" Ike heard Yang yell out in the middle of the relatively quiet room.

"Well they're easier to find than I thought." Ike said mentally. He then walked up to the two girls.

"I don't think dad would approve of all the boys though." Ruby commented as she wrote.

"I know I do." Yang said seductively as she looked around at some of the guys in the room, until she stopped on Ike and purred. "Hey there hot stuff."

"Hey guys." Ike said as he threw down his stuff and laid out his sleeping bag.

Yang then looked over to Jaune, "I would've thought he would wear footy pajamas or something dumb like that."

"He really owes me one." Ike thought to himself.

"So what're you up to Ruby?" The blue haired teen asked.

"Just writing a letter back to the gang at Signal. I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."

"Aww that's so cute!" Yang said mocking her sister.

"Shut up!" Ruby yelled as she threw a pillow into Yang's face. "I didn't get to take my friends with me to school. It's weird not knowing anyone here."

"Hey!" Ike said slightly offended.

"I mean friends from Signal."

"Ya, well I didn't get to take my sister here."

"Hey! That was just luck." The youngest girl in the school protested.

"Ruby you have friends. What about Jaune. He's…. nice." Yang said trying to make Ruby feel better. "See that's plus one friend, and a 100 percent increase. And there's Ike so 200 percent."

"I'm pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend." Ruby said as she rolled onto her back.

"100 is still good." Ike said a bit disheartened.

"Aww Rubes. You just have two friends and one enemy." Yang said still peppy. Until her sister threw another pillow in her face that is. Yang pressed onwards though. "It's only been one day. Trust me, you have friends all around you. You just haven't meet them yet."

The three then heard a match be struck and a bright light coming from a girl sitting next to a pillar. It was the girl that had shut up Weiss earlier. "That girl…" Ruby half whispered.

"You know her?" The blond sister asked.

"Simply put she shut Weiss up." The boy with frosted tips said.

"She left before I could say anything." Ruby added.

"Well now's your chance!" Picking up on Yang's idea, Ike helped in dragging Ruby over to the girl reading a book.

"Hello!" Yang bellowed. "I believe you two may know each other."

The girl with the bow lowered her book slightly and asked, "Aren't you two the ones who exploded?"

"Great that's what I'm known for." Ike thought.

"Uhh ya. I'm Ruby, but you can call me crater… Just call me Ruby."

"I'm Ike and it seems that my work here is done so… bye." Ike then walked back to his sleeping bag and got ready to go to sleep. He could still hear the sisters talking but it wasn't loud enough for him to make out their words.

He was almost asleep when he heard the sounds of two sisters fighting and a stuck up heiress yelling.

"Do they ever shut up?" Ike said as he covered his ears with his pillow.

"It doesn't seem like they do." A teenage girl said next to him. He rolled over and saw Pyrrha next to him.

"Oh… Hi." The half-asleep boy said.

"Hello. I'm Pyrrha."

"Ya I kind of already knew that. I'm Ike by the way."

"Nice to meet you Ike."

"You too. So why are you over here?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." The red headed girl said a bit upset.

"No I didn't mean it like that. It's fine that you're here, just why pick me?"

"Well, you had the same look I had when I heard those two." She then gestured over towards Weiss and Yang. "Plus you looked easy to talk to."

"Well thanks I guess."

"You're welcome." Pyrrha said with a smile.

"So what do you think initiation will be like?" Ike asked.

"Well probably something with being dropped into the woods and having to work our way back home."

"Ehh sounds like something they'd do."

"So, do you have any plans for teams?" The Spartan asked.

"Not really. I was just going to let the chips fall where they may."

"That was my plan too." As soon as she said that the black haired girl blew out her candle.

"Well I guess that's our cue to go to sleep." Ike said.

"I guess so. Goodnight Ike."

"Night Pyrrha. Hopefully we end up on the same team tomorrow." Ike then closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep. Until Nora said something.

"Goodnight Ike, wherever you are!"

"My god." Ike said to himself. "NIGHT NORA." Pyrrha giggled a little and went back to sleep. Ike felt Ruby and Yang finally lay down.

"Night you two." Ike whispered.

"Goodnight Ike." They said simultaneously. Ike was soon rewarded with sleep.

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**Alright first thing's first, I was originally going to make this Ike x Ruby, but after writing that Pyrrha bit I'm not so sure, so vote for who you choose by PMing me. There was something else I just don't remember. Oh ya! Alright so I want to connect the two teams (RWBY and JNPR) in some way, but I don't quite know how to. I have a few ideas, but I don't think they're that good. So PM me or write in a review if you have any ideas. I don't want to make them a clan, because that's kinda over killed, however my best idea is somewhat like that. Well that about does it, remember I'm always accepting OC ideas for any villains (Victors higher ups or something like that I don't really care.) Finally, don't forget to review, fav, and follow it all helps me and makes me feel good about myself, also if you don't review and critique my writing won't get better. Bye!  
**


	5. Chapter 5: Learning to Walk

**Hey everyone! How are ya? I've been pretty good. Sorry this one took so long to get out, I just got kinda swamped between soccer, work, and sleep, but here's chapter 5. I'll probably have important stuff at the bottom so make sure to read that. Other than that enjoy, and don't forget to fav and all that other stuff!**

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"WAKE UP LAZY BUTT!" Nora yelled. Ike opened his eyes extremely fast as soon as he heard he yell. He looked around him to find that Ruby and Pyrrha were already away and probably off changing, while Yang was still fast asleep snoring as loud as a speed boat. Somehow a few other students were still asleep, but Nora had managed to wake up Ren as well. Ike walked over to the pair of students, even though Ren looked like he'd rather still be asleep. "It's morning, it's morning, it's morning!" Nora sang. "Oh, hi Ike." She said as she waved.

"Nora, that was the rudest awakening I've ever had." Ike said half scolding.

"You're telling me." Ren said sleepily.

"Sorry, but I'm just so excited! Can you believe that we've been at Beacon…" the orange haired girl continued as Ike inched closer to the eastern boy.

"Good luck with her." The blue haired boy whispered to Ren.

"Thanks." He replied as Ike walked back over to Yang.

"Now how can I get her awake?" Ike said to himself as he stood over Yang. At first he tried to just shake her awake, but that did absolutely nothing. He then tried calling her name, which gave the same effect. It was around that time frustration kicked in. Ike attempted rolling the girl, throwing pillows at her, and just about everything you can imagine. Ruby finally walked back into the ballroom to see Ike jumping on top of her sister in an attempt to wake her up.

"Won't wake up huh?" Ruby asked her friend.

"How do you get her up?" He asked.

"Like this." Red skipped over to her sister and leaned into her ear. Ruby then whispered, "Yang, I'm taking the last piece of pizza. Okay?" into Yang's ear. The reaction was almost immediate.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Yang yelled as she sprung awake and tackled her sister.

"Ike… Help," Ruby choked out as her sister pinned her down. Ike ran up to the sisters ready to pull Yang of, however as soon as he got close, Yang turned around and hit him with a hard right jab.

The blue haired teen could see stars as he asked. "Did anyone get the license plate of that truck?" He eventually shook the stars out of his eyes and had an idea. He formed Aeolus and pulled out a lightning arrow not a very strong one, but enough to paralyze Yang. He fired the arrow into Yang's back, which caused her to fall like a tree. Ike then jogged up to Ruby to help her up.

"You ok?" He asked as he extended his hand.

"Ya thanks. Is she gonna be ok?" Red asked.

"Probably. It wasn't a very strong arrow." Ike said as he pulled Ruby to her feet. However, he forgot how light the girl was and pulled a bit too hard send the girl into the older boy. This resulted in the boy laying on his back and the girl on top of him. They're faces extremely close to each other. As Ike stared into her silver eyes, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful they were. They stayed like this for a moment, then realized they situation they were in causing both of then to blush. Ruby then got back up to her feet and brushed herself off.

"So… um… ya," Ruby stammered.

"Breakfast?" The tang wielder asked.

"Yes breakfast!" The pair then walked to the cafeteria leaving Yang to recover to being shocked.

Ike and Ruby sat down at an empty table. Ike decided to eat light and only picked up a couple pieces of toast. Ruby on the other hand had taken all the cookies she could get her hands on at an alarming pace. "Ruby, don't you think that you should slow down or something?"

"Thaff, Mi me mine." Was her reply.

"I'm going to assume that means no." Ike said as he popped a piece of toast into his mouth. Across the cafeteria Ike could see Nora sitting next to Ren as he demolished her pancakes. He could hear her say something about teams and bribing Ozpin. "So anyways, have you put any thought into your team?" Ruby was about to say something with cookies still in her mouth, but her blue eyed friend stopped her. "Please, swallow before you talk."

Red finally managed to swallow all of her cookies and answered Ike's question. "No I guess I haven't I was just hoping to be able to stay with Yang."

"Well I was thinking that you and I could be a good pair. I mean we did well fighting Roman's goons."

"Ya, I guess you're right. So me, you, Yang, and then someone else. Sounds like a winning combination to me."

It was at this point Yang sat down next you Ike. "Hey there pal." She said through gritted teeth and all but spat out the word pal.

"Oh, umm… H-hey Y-Y-Yang. H-how you f-feeling?" The tang wielder asked praying to Monty that he wouldn't be eating through a straw to start off the semester.

"Pretty good. Ya know all that electricity is really relaxing." Yang said as flames began to lick the tips of her hair.

Ruby could see how nervous Ike was as he forced out a small laugh. She decided to help him by saying, "Relax Yang. You were about to kill me."

"Fine." Yang said as she crossed her arms. The blond then lend over to Ike and whispered. "Don't think this is over though." Ike was happy that Ruby had at least bought him enough time to write a will.

"Well this has been fun and all but…" Ike said as he ate his last bit of toast. "I have to go get geared up so… Bye!" He then left as quickly as possible, to avoid Yang mostly, leaving both Yang and Ruby a bit dazed.

Ike walked into the locker room and noticed not many people were there. He could see Nora and Ren together as usual. Weiss was talking to Pyrrha. "Poor Pyrrha." Ike thought. And then there was Jaune, who looked more lost than a 4 year-old alone in the middle of Vale. He was muttering someone about his locker number and how it was too high.

"Let's see here locker number 247. Ah ha, here you are. Alright, 21, 7, 35, and open!" Ike said to himself as he attempted to pull open his locker. It didn't budge though. "What the?! 21, 7, 35. That's right!" After trying to open his locker several more times the blue haired teen got upset and used a pick of force to open his locker. Ike walked up to the locker and shoulder checked it opening it up. He then grabbed what little armor he worn, but he still had Aeolus on him. He never went anywhere without it. Unfortunately this also got a Spartan and an heiress's attention.

"What are you doing, you dolt!" Weiss half asked half yelled.

"Well, I kept putting in my combination, but the locker wouldn't open, so I hit it a bit."

"Are you sure you put your combination in correctly?" Pyrrha asked.

"Ya, its 21, 7, 35." The male of the trio responded.

"Ike, you combination is 21, 7, 45. Not 35." Pyrrha said mater of factly.

"Wait, what!?" Ike looked down at his paper again and Pyrrha was right. "Ugh, now I need to get Ozpin to replace my locker." He said as he sank down to the ground.

"I'm sure Professor Ozpin will be more than happy to get yours repaired." Pyrrha said comfortingly.

"As if." The heiress said to herself. "So, Pyrrha have you put any thought into who your teammates will be? I'm sure everyone will want to have such a strong and well known individual such as yourself on their team."

"I was really just going to let the chips fall where they may and hope for the best." Pyrrha responded.

"Well I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together." Weiss said in hopes to win over a partner.

"Well that sounds grand." Pyrrha responded.

"Oh Pyrrha, if only you knew what you just agreed on." Ike thought to himself. Weiss began making some evil looking poses as a thunder cloud appeared behind her. "Well time to have some fun."

"Well what about me Weiss." Ike said trying to look innocent.

"Pfft, as if. Why would I want someone who couldn't even find their own locker on my team?"

"Well that backfired." The blue haired teen thought to himself.

"Well I was perfectly capable of finding my own locker." Ike could hear Jaune say behind him.

"Oh Monty." Ike said to nobody in particular.

"The name's Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you." The smooth talker said to Weiss as he separated Pyrrha and Ike from the heiress.

"You again?" Weiss asked mockingly.

Pyrrha then took this as her chance to put herself in the conversation. "Nice to meet you, Jaune." She said.

"Ya, Ya," Jaune replied paying the four time tournament winner no mind. "So Weiss, I couldn't help but overhear your fondness of me earlier." He said while flexing his bicep.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Ike and Weiss said at the same time, only Weiss said it loud enough for Jaune to hear.

"Don't worry. No need to be embarrassed." The young blond said, still acting overly confident. "So, I've been hearing rumors about teams." He said as he somewhat sang the last bit. "I was thinking you and me would make a good one. What da ya say?"

"Actually, I think the teams are comprised of four students each." The Spartan said correcting the clumsy swordsman.

"You don't say." Jaune said with a hint of aggravation. He then slide over to Pyrrha and said, "Well hot stuff, play your cards right, and maybe you could join up on the winning team."

Weiss then appeared between the two, confusing Ike a bit, and said, "Jaune is it? Do you have any clue who you're talking to?"

"Not in the slightest snow angle." He replied. As soon as Jaune said snow angle he decided it would be best to leave before he witnessed Jaune's murder. He could literally see the headline. "Beacon Boy Murdered by Stuck up Heiress." It read.

He then walked over to his favorite pair of opposites. Ren and Nora. Along the way though he could see a pair of male students bickering about something. Then one who was obviously angry wore a pair of glasses and had short hair. The person on the other side of the tongue lashing had medium length hair that was extremely messy and an abnormally large nose. Ike could hear the beat down from where he stood.

"Gavin you idiot! How do you forget to buy ammo! What was the first thing I told you before we left?!" The teen in the glasses yelled.

"But Micoo." Gavin said as he looked like the saddest sight ever.

"Don't call me Micoo! Monty, how did you even get to this school?" Micoo said.

"Luck?"

"I guess. Here you can have some of my bullets. Just pay me back sometime." Micoo said as he tossed Gavin some bullets.

"Thanks boi!" Gavin said as he looked happier than a kid in a chocolate factory. The fake awesome kind, not the terrible real ones.

"Anytime boi. Team Nice Dynamite is here and everyone is gonna know it!"

"We sure are Michael!" Gavin said as the two left the locker room.

"That probably isn't that last I've seen from them." Ike said to himself. "Oh hey Ren. Hi Nora. What's up?"

"We're coming up with a plan so that we can be one the same team together. But not together-together." Nora replied.

"She's coming up with a plan. I'm checking my Jade Dragons."

"Well what's the plan so far?" The ex-mercenary said.

"Well we're gonna make sloth noises so we knows where the other one is." The hyperactive girl said.

"Do sloths make a lot of noise?" Ike asked.

"No." The eastern boy said.

"I guess that's why it's perfect." The tang wielder said.

"THAT'S WHAT I SAID!" Nora roared. Ike then heard the unmistakable sound of Jaune scream.

"Well looks like Jaune finally struck out, so I have to go help him. Bye guys"

"BYE IKE." Nora bellowed.

"Farewell." Ren said stoically.

On his way over to Jaune Professor Goodwitch came over the loud speaker and said something about reporting to Beacon Cliff. Ike came over in time to see Pyrrha pull her spear out of Jaune's hoodie. The same spear that was pinning him to a wall.

"Having some trouble there lady killer?" Ruby asked as she walked up to Jaune.

"What gave you that thought?" Ike asked sarcastically. "Was it Weiss shooting him down, or being pinned to a wall?"

"I don't understand. My dad said all women look for is confidence. Where did I go wrong?" Jaune said a bit depressingly as Ruby picked him up off the floor.

"Snow angle probably wasn't the best start." The older sister said.

Jaune slung one arm over Ruby and the other over Ike as they walked him out the locker room. Ruby also finished the conversation by saying, "Come on Jaune. Let's go."

They eventually reached Beacon Cliff with Jaune beginning to walk on his own two feet halfway there. They stood on the pads the Ozpin had directed them too and waited for something to happen. Ike could see a few other new faces down the line. There was another boy wearing glasses who had a darker complexion to him, a girl looking happily at Michael, the ginger haired boy from the plane, a guy with an insane mustache, another guy with a big beard talking to a guy with medium length hair, who was saying something about walking to a place called Mordor, and finally at the end a teen staring creepily at a picture of a cow. "Well then, they look…. Interesting." Ike thought.

Seeing that everyone had arrived Ozpin began his speech, but yet again Ike didn't pay attention. That is until Professor Goodwitch said something about teams. "Let us put an end to this confusion. You will be assigned teammates, today." Ruby gave out a small cry.

Ozpin picked up where Glynda left off. "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, and maybe longer still. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone you can work well with." Ruby let out another cry. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with, after landing, will be your partner for the next four years." This seemed to completely shatter Ruby's world. "Once you land make your way to the northern end of the forest." Ozpin then said more things about opposition, but Ike had zoned back out. He did hear Professor Ozpin say that he needed to find a temple with relics in it, take one, and then return to the top of the cliff.

"Alright Ike, you have your mission. Hit the ground, run fast, find Ruby, and kill anything that tries to stop you from doing that."

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**So, I'll try to make the whole Emerald Forest into one chapter, but it might take a little while to upload. I'm still willing to accept any villain OC's you guys have. I still need a better cover photo if you have any ideas, even if it's just a different picture. Finally I'm still unsure about how to combine the two teams, so I'd love some suggestions about that as well. Other than that don't be afraid to PM me with any questions, or if you just wanna talk a bit. I love talking to you guys. Oh, and also this story will stay Ike x Ruby, because I had no votes for this story to be Ike x Pyrrha. So I hope you guys have a good weekend and I'll see you later. Bye!**


	6. Chapter 6: In the Forest

**Hello everyone! I hope you're all well. Sorry this one took a bit long to get out, but it's my longest chapter to date. It's 4,197 words without these author's notes. also, if you see something in parentheses then it's a mini author's note. Anyways, more important stuff at the bottom so make sure you read that. Hope you enjoy!**

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Ike heard a metallic click come from under him, and then he was launched into the air.

"Alright Ike. Think. Think! How to land without dying?" The blue haired boy thought. Jaune then flew past him tumbling through the air. "Alright don't be like Jaune. Be better than Jaune. Ah ha! I got it!" Ike formed Aeolus and notched a fire arrow as well as an ice one. He shot the fire arrow first shooting below him but leading himself. He then took aim with the ice arrow and fired causing the two arrows to collide in the air making a short slide for him. He landed on the slide feet first which projected all of his momentum forward. "Alright that's part one. Time for part two, which was…." He couldn't think of a part two. "Improvise." The tree's started getting closer and closer but Ike still had no clue how to land. "Oh man. I'm gonna be like Jaune. Dead before I even start."

Then an idea suddenly struck him. However, before he could put it into action a student had a plan of her own. Ruby suddenly grabbed onto her tang wielding friend before he could object. Her scythe collided with a tree spinning both of them around and slowing them down, but during the spinning Ike lost his grip and was sent sailing into the forest until he hit a tree. He could hear Ruby call out his name. "Well at least somebody cares." He thought. He smashed into a few trees which eventually caused him to stop, however it did hurt quite a bit.

"Well I guess that was a successful landing. At least I'm not dead..." He said to himself. He was happy with where he was, until he looked down from the tree he was in. "Yet." Through all the noise he caused he managed to attract three Ursi. "Only one way to solve this." He said to himself, before jumping out of the tree with an ice arrow notched.

Ike flipped while in the air, which gave him a perfect shot at one of the Ursi. He released the arrow and it hit right where he wanted. The feet. The Ursa was immobilized for the time being, evening out the odds just a bit. He then separated the weapon back into Nero and Ichor. He landed in between the other two Ursa giving him and idea.

The Ursa on his right charged at him, which he then jumped over and landed on the beast's shoulders. The second one swung at Ike. Right before it hit him he jumped back off allowing the Ursa to slam its claw into the other's head caving in its skull and easily killing it. Ike landed, but wasn't given a breather as the previously immobilized Ursa finally broke free and changed. It prepared to hit Ike, but as it swung the Hunter-in-Training jumped back and slashed Ichor at its paw, which broke halfway through chopping it off. Ike then swung Nero at the same paw as the beast pulled it back, which severed it. The Grimm recoiled in pain and Ike saw his opening. He charged forward as the Ursa was losing blood at an alarming pace. He then jumped and aimed both of his weapons at his foe's head. He made one major flaw however. He forgot about the other Ursa.

As he flew through the air he was hit on his right side by a powerful strike. This sent him back into the ground and caused a giant crater. The Ursa that had smacked him down was looming over him knowing full well how injured Ike was. Ike had dislocated his right shoulder as he demolished the ground. The Grimm was almost teasing Ike, which was a fatal flaw. Ike pulled out one of the pistols James used one the night he died and fired. The bullet traveled directly into the Ursa's eye and stopped inside the brain, killing the beast.

As the Grimm collapsed Ike pulled out a flame arrow and threw it at the last Ursa as if it were a javelin. He then shot it right as it reached the beast's head, causing it to explode. The fireball incinerated the final Grimm and killed it. Ike smiled a bit, but was slightly sadden at the sight of his brother's old weapon. "Even in death you're still saving me." Ike said to the gun as if he was talking to James himself. He had tried to put a bit of humor into what he said to cheer himself up, but it did nothing. Ike then remembered something. He just got hit by an Ursa. Then the pain hit him.

Pain surged through Ike as his adrenaline finally stopped pumping. He knew that his aura was healing him, but his shoulder would still need a sling, and that was something he didn't have. "I think I heard it from over here." A familiar voice called.

"Wait was that…" Ike thought to himself right before a certain Red Reaper popped up in front of him.

"Ike! Are you okay?" The young girl asked, a bit more worried than a normal friend would be.

"You should see the other guys." Ike replied chuckling a bit.

"Ya, we have." Ruby said still immensely worried.

"Wait. We?" The injured teen asked.

"Yes, we." A certain heiress said.

"I never thought I'd say this, but thank Monty you're here Weiss." Ike said.

"Ya, Ya. What's injured?" Weiss asked wishing to get straight to the point.

"I think I dislocated my shoulder. I'm going to need a sling for it." Ike said pushing through the pain.

"Alright I'm on it." The white clad girl said. She pulled a first aid kit out of thin ir and began to rummage through it.

"Where did you get that?" Ike asked.

"Do you want me to help you?" The heiress asked.

"Yes please." Ike said.

"Then please be quiet." Weiss continued to look through the kit, until she found what she was looking for. "Okay, give me your arm."

Ike did his best to move him arm, but failed miserably. Weiss rolled her eyes and began to wrap gauze around his shoulder and arm. "There, that should work for the time being."

"Thanks Weiss." Ike said as he stood back up and walked out of the crater.

The three began walking around aimlessly, as they followed Weiss. Eventually Ruby just got tired of walking and sat down. She then found a nice leaf and started playing with it. Ike choose to stay on his feet, but still just leaned up against a tree. "I should probably find a partner of my own, but I'll probably just meet them at the temple." The blue haired teen thought to himself.

"It's definitely this way." Weiss said as she paced back and forth. "I mean this way. It's definitely this way. Alright its official, we've passed it."

"Why can't you just admit that you have no idea where we're going?" Ruby asked as she stood back up.

"Because I know exactly where we're going."

"And where's that?" Ike asked.

"We're going to… the forest temple!" Weiss said extremely illogically.

"Jeez that sounds like a bullet proof explanation." Ike said sarcastically. Ruby then let out a small giggle.

"Oh shut up! You don't know where we're going either!" Weiss said defending herself.

"At least he's not acting like he knows everything!" Red said defending Ike.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked angrily.

"It means that you're a big, stupid, jerk and I hate you!" Ruby said as she slowly got closer to Weiss.

"This isn't going to end well." Ike said to himself.

Weiss then groaned and said, "Just keep moving."

"Just keep moving. Hurry up. Wahh. Watch where you're going." Ruby said mocking Weiss.

"Ruby, maybe that's enough." Ike said trying to be the voice of reason.

"No. She needs to hear this. Why are you so bossy?" Red asked angrily.

"I'm not bossy! Don't say things like that!"

"Stop treating me like a kid!"

"Stop acting like a kid!"

"Well stop acting like your perfect!"

"Both of you, stop arguing!" Ike yelled finally having enough. "You're partners now even if you don't like it! You don't have to like each other, but you have to get along enough to work together! So both of you shut up and just work together to get this over with!" Weiss and Ruby were both dumbfounded for a second, until Weiss simply stormed off. This left Ike with Ruby who looked like a kicked puppy and simply muttered a small sorry and followed her partner.

"Maybe I should give them some time alone. They need to work things out themselves." Ike said himself. "i should really stop talking to myself too.

He then walked on wards for a little while, until he eventually found a clearing with some ruins in it. "Must be the temple," Ike thought to himself. "And I'm guessing that's Yang and her partner." He walked up to the two and was about to say something until a scream cut him off.

"Some girl's in trouble." Yang said to her partner.

"That's no girl. That would be Jaune." Ike replied.

"Blake did you hear that?" The blonde asked her bow wearing friend, but Blake was more preoccupied by something else. Something still in the air. "What should we do?" Yang asked.

Ike finally looked up in the air as Black pointed up, and saw what Blake was seeing. It was a falling Ruby yelling "Heads up!"

Luckily for the red clad girl a certain swordsman was also sailing through the air, until they collided with each other sending them into a tree.

Ike ran over to check on the two, and when he arrived Ruby was seeing stars, while Jaune was hanging upside down.

"Well, that looked like fun." Ike said.

"Ya," They said together. The three then heard some loud smashing sounds in the distance. When Ike looked over he could see Pyrrha running for her life with a Death Stalker hot on her heels. The Grimm took a swing at her, which she jumped over, as if she had eyes in the back of her head. "Jaune!" She yelled

"Pyrrha!" Jaune yelled back.

"Whoa." Ruby said as she stood up and jumped off the tree branch.

"Ruby!" Jaune said as she jumped off.

"So, you wanna go save Pyrrha?" Ike asked his blonde friend. As Jaune finally stood on his feet on the tree branch.

"I have a better plan." Jaune said with a goofy smile. He then jumped out of the tree, diving to catch White as she fell.

Amazingly, his plan worked and he caught her in a bridal carry. However, his plan had a major flaw. Landing.

They yet again started falling with Jaune landing face first and Weiss landing on his back with a hard crack.

Pyrrha then dove in front of the small group that had formed, and Ike landed next to them after jumping out of the tree himself. He then turned around and quickly grabbed the white king piece. "Chess pieces huh. Not really a relic, but they're still nice." Ike thought as he put the piece in his pocket.

"Ren, how did you and Nora get here?" The archer asked.

"Don't... ask." Ren panted.

"Great, the gang's all here. Now we can die together." Yang said sarcastically.

"Not if I can help it." Ruby said right before letting out a battle cry and charging at the Death Stalker.

"Ruby! Wait!" The blonde sister called in hopes to stop Ruby, but her calls fell upon deaf ears. The younger girl pulled out her weapon and fired behind her, which gave her a boost as she flew towards the Death Stalker. Right as Ruby made it to the creature of Grimm, she was sent flying backwards by one of the giant pincers.

"D-don't worry! I-I'm fine." She said shakily. She then turned around to see the giant scorpion looming over her. She fired a shot, but it bounced off harmlessly. She then saw her only option left. Run.

Yang desperately sprinted towards her sister, and Ike had the same plan as he rocketed past her. He was closing the gap, but so was the Death Stalker. Then something even worse happened. A giant Nevermore appeared in the sky to assist the Death Stalker.

The mega bird spread its wings back and launched feathers at the Huntress-in-training. One of the feathers managed to hit Ruby's cloak stopping her instantly, while another managed to hit Ike's makeshift sling and struck a deep wound into the top of his arm. This caused his bad shoulder to fall back to his side painfully, and caused the teen to fall to one of his knees in pain.

"Ruby, get out of there!" Yang yelled helplessly.

"I'm trying!" Her sister called back while attempting to pull her cloak free. The Death Stalker had finally caught up and prepared to strike the young girl down. Then a flash of white flew passed Ike. Right before the Death Stalker finished off Ruby with its stinger, Weiss managed to freeze it.

"Ike are you okay?" Pyrrha asked worried as she approached the blue haired teen.

"Ya, I'm fine." He said trying to reassure her. She then turned her attention to his arm, which was losing quite a bit of blood.

"No you aren't." She said. "Here let me try something." She then ripped off the end of the drapery she wore. She then quickly wrapped it around his arm and shoulder using it as both a bandage and sling. "There that'll work for now."

"Thanks, Pyrrha." The blue haired teen said as they returned to the rest of the group.

"Umm, guys. That thing is circling back around. What're we gonna do?" A worried swordsman said.

"Look there's no sense in dilly dallying. Our objective is right in front of us." The heiress said.

"She's right, our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the cliffs." The Grim Reaper said. "There's no point in fighting these things."

"I doubt they'll just let us leave, but it's worth a shot." The archer said.

"Run and live. That's an idea I can get behind." Jaune said before following Ruby to pick up they're piece. Jaune took a white rook, while Ruby choose the white knight. It was at this point that the Death Stalker was able to free itself.

"Time we left." The Ren said.

"Right, let's go." Red commented, before taking off.

The group began running through what seemed to be ruins when a certain unhappy bird reappeared. They then began to split into pairs with Ike going lone wolf and jumping on top of the stair like ruins. From his point he could easily see the Nevermore blocking the path back to the cliff. "Nothing's ever easy is it?" He said to himself. Then the unhappy Death Stalker came back for revenge. "Me and my mouth."

Everyone began to run towards the Nevermore as the bird took off from its perch. Knowing that his friends would never make it due to the feathers the bird would soon unleash, Ike jumped up into the air and landed on the giant bird. He began slashing into it with his good arm, however because of his bad shoulder he couldn't put his entire force behind it and did nothing but scratch its feathers. It was able to unleash a maelstrom of feathers aimed at Nora, but the pink clad girl avoided all of them and began to fire back at the Grimm. The bird finally retreated for a bit allowing everyone to make it to the bridge and Ike to rejoin the group.

Nora was still taking shots at the Nevermore when the Death Stalker snuck up behind her. Before it could do anything Ren and Blake each slashed a diagonal along the creature stopping it. Weiss then dropped in and saved the orange haired girl.

As everyone made it to the bridge, with Pyrrha and Ike staying back to take shots at the following Death Stalker. As the group ran on Ike, Pyrrha, Blake, and Ren were following the rest of the group. Then the Nevermore came back.

The massive bird smashed into the bridge destroying it. The group of nine was split up leaving the four in the back to fight the giant scorpion. Ren and Pyrrha began firing while Ike and Blake slashed at the beast. The creature of Grimm then smacked both of the close range fighters. As the pincer hit Ike in the chest he felt something crack in his inside pocket.

Ike slid across the ground and checked in his pocket to see what had happened. As he checked inside the pocket, all he could see the broken fragments of a pair of aviators. One of the only items he had to remind himself of his brother. He began to feel rage boil inside of him. He only wanted to kill the Creatures of Grimm. he had lost it, again.

His rage settled in again as he lost control of his body. Somehow Blake had ended up on the other side with her partner, while Jaune and Nora had somehow joined his side. Ike looked over and saw the Nevermore smash into a ruin Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang were standing on. They each made their own way back up to solid ground when rage began to fuel Ike. The Death Stalker rammed its stinger into the bridge causing it to shake. Jaune said something, but Ike wasn't worried about that right now. All he wanted to do was decimate these two Grimm. The five charged at the beast.

It attempted to strike down Pyrrha, but she blocked with her shield and countered with a slash of her spear. Its second pincer came down, but was blocked by Jaune. As Pyrrha jumped over him and stabbed at the Death Stalker. Ren grabbed onto the stinger as it hit the ground again, and began to unload on the joint connecting the stinger and the tail. Pyrrha and Jaune were then knocked back as Nora took shots at the creature.

"Time to get into this fight." Ike said to himself as he bolted forward. As he ran he lost his makeshift sling, but didn't notice at all. He jumped over both of the pincers as they tried to strike his sides. He landed on the Death Stalkers face and jammed an electric arrow into its eyeball. He then dismounted the beast with a back flip just in time for Pyrrha to shoot his arrow stunning the creature of Grimm.

It gave out a loud cry as it reeled back throwing Ren off. Ike noticed Ren had damaged the joint quite a bit, to the point where it was barely on. Pyrrha tried throwing her shield at it, but the beast deflected it. Ike decided it would be better to get up close and personal. "Nora! Launch me!" He called. The girl jumped into the air and slammed the ground in front of Ike, launching him towards the stinger. As he passed it, he tried to slice his way through. However, he didn't get all the way through. He then grabbed onto the tail and spun around sending him back at the stinger. He passed the stinger again and sliced through the joint dropping the giant pincer on its head.

He looked at the other three and saw Nora being sent up towards the sky. Knowing his companion's plan, Ike jumped into the air and peaked just above Nora. The two put their feet together and Nora said, "Bye bye," right before Ike pushed off and sent her flying back towards the ground. Ike went flying directly towards the four on the other side of the broken bridge. He looked back just in time to see Nora smash her hammer into the sever pincer, killing the Death Stalker.

Ike smiled just a bit, before he grabbed onto the wing of the Nevermore. Yang was currently in the creature of Grimm's mouth throwing shell after shell down its throat. Ike began to throw is weapons into every inch of the giant bird's body. Eventually, Yang dismounted the beast's mouth with a back flip, but Ike stayed on. He noticed the approaching cliff and stabbed Nero into the Nevermore's neck and swung himself around to the front of its neck. He then hung on and placed the tip of Ichor on the Nevermore's throat. As the bird hit the cliff Ichor was thrust into its throat.

The blue eyed teen then used his weapons like icepicks and climbed up to the beast's head. While he was doing this, Weiss had frozen the bird in place. Ike then began to stab his weapons into the bird's head, when he felt himself begin pulled up. He was thrown from the top of the head, and barely stabbed Nero into its side. He looked up to see Ruby with her scythe around the bird's neck as she ran up the side of the cliff. When she reached the top Ike pulled Nero out of the creature of Grimm's side and let himself be launched up and landed on the cliff along with Ruby.

"Oh, hey Ike!" The girl said innocently, as if she hadn't just killed a huge Nevermore. However, Ike seemed as if he didn't even here her and simply walked back towards Beacon with the shattered glasses in his hand. "Ike, are you ok?" She asked.

"Ya I'm fine." He said unemotionally.

"You don't look fine." She said as she put her hand on his shoulder.

"Look I'm fine! Just leave me alone!" He snapped back. Ruby looked like a kicked puppy, which broke his currently cold heart. "I'm sorry it's just… I need to be alone." He said more caringly. He then turned and left the younger girl there, waiting for her partner, sister, and friends. The only thing that he heard was the sound of the Nevermore falling. And it was music to his ears.

**-Sometime later-**

Ozpin had just announced the forming of team LADS, consisting of Gavin, Michael, Ray, and Lindsey team GNTS formed by Geoff, Jack, Ryan, and Kerry, and team CRDL made by Cardin, Russell, Dove, and Sky. Apparently teams were based upon the pairs that picked the same chess piece, which made Ike a bit nervous for two reasons. One he didn't have a partner. And two he picked a piece that had no matching piece.

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, and Nora Valkyrie." The four teens walked onto the stage as their names were called, and stood in front of Professor Ozpin. "The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. Form this day forward you will work together as team JNPR." Nora hugged Ren at the announcement that they'd be on the same team. "Led by Jaune Arc."

"Huh? Lead by me?" Jaune asked a bit confused. Pyrrha couldn't have looked more excited though, and Ozpin simply congratulated him. Then Pyrrha gave him a punch in the arm which knocked him down and thoroughly embarrassed him.

"Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long." The four did exactly what team JNPR did. "The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From the day forward you will work together as team RWBY. Led by Ruby Rose." All of the girls except Blake looked completely surprise. Ike was even a bit surprised himself

Yang then ran up to her sister, hugged her, and squealed, "I'm so proud of you!"

"Now, will Ike Mers please join me on stage." Ike walked up the stage and stood in front of Professor Ozpin like his peers did. "Now, because we had an odd number of students this year, something will be slightly different. Ike Mers, you retrieved the white king piece. From this day one you will work as a lone student." Ike was completely surprised by this announcement. He thought that maybe he would be put on a team as a fifth member, or maybe two teams with one leader. "However, we don't want to leave you completely alone, so we are allowing you to work with a pair of sister teams. You can choose, Teams LADS and GNTS, teams CRDL and STAR, or teams RWBY and JNPR.

"I choose teams RWBY and JNPR sir." Ike said almost instantly.

"Very well." Ozpin said. as teams RWBY and JNRP walked on stage to congratulate their not really a team member, team member. However, when Ike looked over towards Ruby he saw that same sad look on her face.

"I'm going to have to tell her. Aren't I?" Ike thought to himself.

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**Well that was a thing. So, we'll start to stray from the canon story here pretty soon. I would really love to have some villainous OC, or else you guys will end up with what I can create, which won't be very good. All I really need is appearance, weapons, a bit of personality, fighting style, and semblance but that's optional. I'll probably see everyone before 4th of July (Which is independence Day in America for those of you who don't know), but if I don't happy Independence Day. I was going to write a holiday chapter, but the story isn't in the right spot for me to do so, sorry. Anyways, this is a long author's note and I have to go to work, so don't forget to leave a review. Also, if you ever want to talk about the story, have any questions, or anything else go ahead and PM me. Well, bye guys!**


	7. Chapter 7: One Small Step

**Hey everyone, it feels like it's been a while since I last posted. Anyways, I don't have anything new in my life, so enjoy the chapter and I'll see you at the bottom.**

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Beep. Beep. Beep.

That was the sound Ike woke up to his first day of classes. He always liked waking up early enough to see the sun rising over the horizon, and today was no exception. He also liked the idea of not having to share his room with anyone. He looked around his room and realized it was pretty normal. He had a closet, a single bed, and a large window. Every team shared a bathroom with another, with the exception of JNPR and RWBY who also shared a bathroom with Ike. The shared bathroom was across the hall from team RWBY, JNRP, and Ike's rooms. **(Yes I know team RWBY and JNPR are across the hall with each other, but I decided to put them on the same side with Ike's room in the middle.)** Ike never had much stuff, because he never saw the need to buy a lot of things. He hung a weapon's rack up on the wall and put Aeolus in it. He also put a picture of him and his family on the nightstand that had his lamp and alarm clock on it. Seeing nothing better to do Ike grabbed his uniform and walked into the bathroom.

He threw his toothbrush and toothpaste on the sink and stepped into the shower. Unlike most people, Ike preferred to have a nice cool shower to wake him up. He let the refreshing feeling of the water rush over him. After spending a good ten minutes in the shower, Ike turned off the water and dried himself off. He then put on his uniform, except for the tie, which he wasted half an hour trying to tie correctly. Eventually he got frustrated and threw the tie back into his closet. "Forget it Ozpin will understand!" He yelled. He then laid down in his bed and started looking through his classes, but before he could get very far, he heard a whistle coming from team RWBY's room. "And looks like they're up." Ike said to himself. He then heard a knock on the door. "It's open!" He called out. Jaune then poked his head into the blue haired teen's room.

"Umm did you hear a whistle?" The blonde asked sleepily.

"Sure did. I'm pretty sure everyone in Beacon did too." The blue haired teen responded.

"Good, I thought I was going crazy."

"You might want to get dressed." Ike pointed out, indicating at Jaune who was wearing footy pajamas inside of something sensible. "Classes start pretty soon."

"Aww man, they do. I'll see you later, Ike."

"Bye, Jaune." The blonde boy then closed the door to Ike's room and open the one to the bathroom.

Before Ike could start to concentrate on something else, someone knocked on the door. "It's open!" He called once again. The knob turned and Ren and Nora walked in. "Oh, hey guys." Both of the new students had already gotten dressed and we're ready for the day.

"Hello Ike." Ren said as emotionlessly as ever.

"Hi Ike!" Nora said with enough happiness to make up for Ren.

"So, what're you two up to?" Ike asked.

"Well… me and Ren got dressed and... then we got bored." Nora started, exaggerating the "and".

"She got bored." Ren corrected, but Nora didn't seem to notice.

"So we came over here to check out your room, seeing as it's just you here we thought you'd get lonely."

"Well I've lived by myself for a while, so I'm fine. As for the room there's not much to see, I didn't bring a lot." Nora then began to explore the room while Ren stayed back to talk with Ike.

"So, why have you stayed by yourself all this time?" Ren asked.

"I just kinda started one day and then it became normal." Ike said trying to avoid the key part of the question, but Ren didn't want to.

"Yes, but why did you start. No roommates or family." Ike looked slightly sadder by the mention of the word family, which didn't go unnoticed by Ren. "Oh, I'm sorry to hav…"

"It's fine. You didn't know, but it's not really a thing I wish to implore." Ike responded calmly.

"I understand." Ren said sympathetically. There was a moment of silence before Nora broke it.

"Hey Ike! Who are these people?" She asked holding up the picture of his family.

"That would be my brother, my parents, and me."

"You didn't tell me you had a brother! Ohh, and you look just like your mom." This innocence brought a small smile to Ike's face despite the sadness he felt. "So, are we ever going to meet them?"

Ike searched for the right words to say, but couldn't find them. Luckily Ren was still there. "Nora, they live very far away, so probably not." Ren said lying to Nora for Ike's sake. Ike flashed him a small thankful smile to which Ren responded with a small nod.

"Aww, that stinks." Nora said with a small pouty face. "So, where do they live, Ike?"

"They umm… live in…" Ike stammered, but was saved by team RWBY this time. On the other side of the wall they began to hear construction noises. "Do they have power tools?" The blue haired boy asked.

"Well they also have guns, swords, and dust. Why do power tools matter?" Ren said calmly.

"Good point. Hey, wait time is it?"

"8:55" Nora answered.

"Oh, no! Port's class!" Ike said as sprinted out his door. Team RWBY looked out their door to see the blue hhaired teen sprinting, as did team JNPR.

"To class!" Ruby yelled from behind Ike as the two teams began sprinting behind the archer.

The 9 of them passed Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch in the courtyard as the clock continued to tick. As the nine sprinted towards class, Ike realized that they probably wouldn't make it on time, but he had an idea. He slowed down letting everyone pass him, then once they did he jumped up onto the side of a pole. He then pushed off the pole and shot himself like a bullet at his friends catching each one as he passed. However, as the group shot towards Port's class, Blue then realized that he was going to miss his mark. The open door.

As Professor Port saw the clock hit 8:59 his room was silent as students began taking their seats. Three seconds later, nine of his new students came crashing through the window right next to his door. "Well that's quite an entrance." The older man said to the group in a jumbled pile, with Jaune on the bottom, looking like he was about to die and Nora sitting neatly on top.

"Uhh, sorry professor. I misjudged my jump a bit." Ike said apologetically from the middle of the pile.

"I can see that. None the matter I'll just have it replaced. Now please take your seats." The group slowly got off of each other and filed into the seats that were still available.

Team RWBY all sat in the front row with Ike sitting right behind them. Ike had just sat down, when the bell rang. The large professor then began his lecture. "Monsters, demons," He said drawing out the second word. "Prowlers of the night. Yes the Creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey. Haha!"

"Yep this is going to be boring." Ike thought as he relaxed and began to think to himself. "So, I have to fix this thing with Ruby. I know that I was a jerk, but I don't know what to do. I could just tell her everything. Ya, I could just walk up to her, 'Hey, sorry I was a jerk, but my brother got killed and that was one of the only things I had left. Oh, and I was pretty much a criminal for my entire life. Oh, and my parents are dead.' Great thought, idiot. Well there's always the 'It's not you, it's me.' Ya, that was stupid too. Come on Ike think, think, think." He was then kicked out of his thinking by some kid in the back of the class.

"Eyyyyy yep!" He shouted standing up.

"Really kid?" Ike thought to himself. The kid realized what and idiot he was being and quickly sat down.

"Now that that's over I can get back to thinking. Maybe I should protect James's gun a bit better, and maybe I should name it. Hey! That could be a good way to show Ruby how sorry I am. I could just tell her how important it is to me and leave out the whole James bit. Yep that'll work, but as for protecting it I could always not carry it with me. Then again it did save my life quite a few times. My holster just isn't safe enough for it. Well I could always make another gun and just replace it. And then I could hang it up with Aeolus. Yep that's definitely what I'm going to do. But if I'm replacing it I need a good gunsmith."

"Despite smelling of cabbages my grandfather was a wise man. 'Peter' he told me." Port just keep rambling on. Then Ruby held up a picture of Professor Port labeled Professor Poop, and made a fart sound. This caused Weiss to look more angry than she ever had been, but earned laughs from both Yang and Ike.

"Wait, didn't Ruby make Crescent Rose? Ya, I think she did. So it all ties together. There's still an issue though. I have no clue how to apologize to Ruby without dumping everything out all at once. I have to think of something." Then Weiss's hand popped up in front of his face throwing him out of his entranced state.

"I do sir!" She called out looking even madder than before, if that was possible.

"Umm, what did she just volunteer for?" Ike asked Blake as he leaned forward to whisper to her.

"Something about having the qualities of a true huntress." She whispered back.

"Which means?"

"No idea. Probably killing something."

"Step forward and face your opponent." The large professor said to Weiss gesturing towards the cage, which had some kind of beast in it.

"Good call." Ike said as he leaned back into his seat. Weiss walked through a door to the side of the room to get changed. Ike took this opportunity to talk to Ruby really quick. "Hey, I kinda need to talk to you after class."

"Why? So you can yell at me again, and then just walk away?" She responded bitterly.

"No, it's so I can apologize and explain myself. And hopefully make up for what I did." At this point Weiss walked back into the classroom with her combat skirt on and Myrtenaster at her side.

"Fine, but you're walking on thin ice mister." Ruby said pointing at him with a small pouty face, which Ike thought was adorable.

"Thanks." He said back. Then he got ready to watch a scene unfold in front of him. One involving the ice princess and something in a cage. Weiss unsheathed her weapon and pointed it at the cage. Inside the cage the beast snarled.

"GO WEISS!" Yang yelled out as she punched the air.

"Fight well." Blake added on calmly and she waved a team RWBY pennant.

"Good luck!" Ike called out.

"YA! REPRESENT TEAM RWBY!" Ruby yelled, dragging out the word, 'team', louder than her sister as she threw her hands into the air.

"Ruby! I'm trying to concentrate." Weiss scolded.

"Oh, sorry."

Peter decided to end the talk amongs the teammates. "Alright," he said as he pulled his blunderaxe from behind his back. "Let the match. Begin!" He called out as he destroyed the lock. The cage fell open, and a Boarbatusk roared before charging at Weiss. The huntress-in-training rolled out of the way and slashed at the beast, but did no damage. The four eyed opponent faced the girl again. "Haha! Wasn't expecting that were you!" Port commented. The white haired girl keep her weapon pointed at her foe.

"Hang in there Weiss!" Red said supporting her teammate.

Weiss and the creature of Grimm charged at each other with the intent to strike the other down, however the Boarbatusk won this small victory and managed to stop Weiss in her track. Her weapon was also stuck in the beast's tusks. Weiss and the creature fought over control of the weapon. "Come on Weiss, show it whose boss!" the young leader cheered on. Weiss looked over at her leader, which gave the beast an opening to rip the rapier out of the heiress's hands. The weapon was throw to the other side of the room, and then the creature of Grimm threw the Huntress-in-training away from it.

"Ohh, now what will you do without your weapon?" Port continued with his commentary.

"Weiss start using your glyphs." Ike yelled out in hopes to help change the tide of the fight. "Watch out!"

Weiss looked up in time to see the beast charging at her. She dove to the side just in time to avoid being hit again. The Boarbatusk couldn't stop itself and slammed into the front of the row of desks. Weiss sprinted over to her weapon and slide to pick it up. "Weiss, go for its belly. There's no armor under neither…" Ruby said before she was cut off.

"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss snapped at her. Ruby's happy and excited look was replaced by one that broke Ike's heart. Again.

"Geez Weiss, she's just trying to help." Ike thought to himself. The teen then leaned over his desk and said to Ruby, "Hey, don't worry about it. She's just caught up in the heat of the moment."

"Ya, that's what it is." Ruby said still a bit depressed.

Back in front of the class the Creature of Grimm began spinning and shot towards the heiress. Weiss put up and glyph in front of her, and stopped her opponent, exposing it's under side. She then back flipped onto another glyph, which shot her at her foe. She stabbed the Boarbatusk through the stomach killing it.

It gave one final sequel when it finally died. Weiss fell forwards exhausted. "Bravo, bravo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training. I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and stay vigilant. Class dismissed." Port said finishing off his class. Weiss simply put on a snobby face and walked away from her team. Despite being out of a boring class, Ruby still looked incredibly sad.

"If you don't want to talk today it's fine." Ike said to Ruby.

"No, no it's fine. Just meet me after my last class." Ruby responded.

"Alright then." The blue haired teen said as he gathered his stuff and left the classroom. Leaving team RWBY to sort out their issues.

"What's with her?" Jaune asked as Ike walked by.

"Don't ask."

The rest of the day went by pretty painlessly, with the exception of being scolded on his uniform by Glynda. His only other classes were history and precision shooting. He had lunch after history class, but because it was still pretty early there was nobody in the cafeteria. Eventually he made it through the day, and returned to his room. He then got changed into his normal attire and left to meet Ruby outside her last class of the day. He reached the door just in time for the bell to ring, and waited until Ruby walked out the door. When she eventually did he simply started walking beside her.

"Hey." He said.

"Oh, hey." She responded still pretty sad.

"You sure you're okay?" The tang wielder asked concerned.

"Ya I'm fine, I just need to talk with Weiss."

"About today in Port's class?"

"Ya, and pretty much the entire awkward day."

"Ahh, I see."

"So, you wanna talk?"

"Yep, and I know just the place." Ike grabbed Ruby's hand, which made her blush a bit, and led her down the halls of Beacon.

After walking for a little while they walked through the doors to a balcony, where the sun was just setting.

"Did you mean for it to be this beautiful?" Ruby asked a bit mockingly.

"Nope, just luck I guess." The two just looked at the sun as they leaned their legs off the edge of the balcony. Eventually Ruby broke the blissful silence.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to apologize for yelling at you after initiation." Ike said getting straight to the point. "It wasn't your fault what happened, but you were just there at the wrong time. Ya know?" Ruby replied with a simple nod. "Good. I am really sorry."

"It's okay, Ike." She replied sweetly. "Why were you so upset anyways?"

"That's... not really a topic I want to talk about."

"Ike, I'm your friend." Ruby said in a very soft and caring voice as she grabbed Blue's hand. "You can tell me anything."

"I know. I'm just... just... just not ready to talk about it yet."

"I understand." The two sat in silence for a bit longer, until Ike broke the silence this time.

"Anyways, to make it up to you I had a bit of an idea." Ruby looked back over to Ike with his hand still in hers. "You see I have this gun, and it's very important to me. But the issue is I don't have a name for it. So I was thinking I'd let you name it."

"Hmmm." Ruby said putting her hand to her chin. "What about… Red Mortem!" She said excitedly.

"Sounds like a good enough name." The blue haired teen replied, smiling at the younger girl. "I do have one more thing to ask you."

"What's that?"

"Well I don't want Red Mortem to get damaged, so I was hoping you could help me build a gun, seeing as you made Crescent Rose and all."

"You don't like Aeolus?" The mini-reaper asked.

"No, I love it. It's just nice to have something a bit faster."

"Well, it'd be my honor to help you."

"Thanks Ruby."

"I'm going to need another name aren't I?" Red asked.

"Sure are." Blue responded chuckling. Then they just sat there and enjoy each other's company. Sometime while they were sitting there Ruby leaned her head against Ike shoulder. They just looked upon the sun falling past the horizon.

"What time is it?" Ruby finally asked.

"About 6:30." Ike responded.

"Well, I have to go find Weiss before it gets too dark, so bye Ike. Thanks for cheering me up a bit."

"Bye Ruby." Ike watched as Ruby walked back into Beacon and turned down the hall. Ike sat for a bit longer, until he eventually got up and left the balcony.

Ike walked back into his room, and got ready for bed. He showered again, brushed his teeth, and changed into a pair of pajamas. After studying and doing homework for a while, Ike finally looked over at his clock and noticed it was 9:00. He then walked over to his bed a flopped into it. As he looked up at his ceiling, only one thing was on his mind.

"I really like her don't I?"

* * *

**This is probably one of my favorite chapters yet. People are starting to learn about Ike's past, and the whole Ruby x Ike thing is starting to take shape. Anyways, because we'll soon be getting into the actual story line soon I need villain OCs, or else you guys get my crappy ideas. Also, this is probably the last time we'll see a chapter focused around the cannon. A few chapters will involve the cannon like episode 16 will be in here, but 11 and 12 definitely won't. I do have a small idea of where this is going, but right now the only thing I know about the ending is the final scene, which is amazing. So that's about it so make sure to send in your OCs and whatnot. Also, don't forget to review and PM me. I love talking with you guys. Bye!**


	8. Chapter 8: Its Ugly Head

**Before we start I have a few things to say. First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone reading. It means a lot to come home after a crappy day and hear that people enjoy what I'm doing. It's truly amazing how far this story has come in only about a month. So, yet again thank you to everybody. I love you all. Next, want to say a big thank you to both King of the Lion and LeoKingoftheZodiac for their OC submissions. LeoKingoftheZodiac's OC will be used this chapter, while King of the Lion's will be used in the future. Yet again, thanks guys.**

* * *

It was almost a sight you would see in a movie. The sun was shining brightly through Ike's window, and the birds were chirping outside. Yes it was the weekend. Saturday to be exact. It had been a few weeks since the first day of school, and Ike had still keep his past a secret. He and Ruby were working hard on making him a new pistol, but progress was slow. However, the two had begun to get closer as the days passed, and neither of them had forgotten the end of their first day. Neither had a certain blonde when she saw the picture perfect moment. Only that probably wasn't a good thing. Ike could still remember the little "talk" Yang had with him a few days ago.

**-Flashback-**

"Ike!" A fiery blond yelled as she nearly destroyed the boy's door.

"Good morning to you too." He responded sarcastically as he opened the door. That was a mistake. As soon as he did Yang charged at him and picked him up off the ground slamming him into the wall.

"Don't think I didn't see that little moment you and my sister had." She said through gritted teeth.

"What moment?" The blue eyed boy asked confused.

"Don't even try that with me. The first day of school, out on the balcony."

"Oh, ya that moment." Ike said almost taunting the girl.

"What's that supposed to mean." She responded readying one of her shotguns.

"Yang, Ruby's old enough to make her own decisions. I think you just need to calm down." Mistake number two. This one was punished far more severely. With a swift punch to the gut. Then he was dropped back to the ground. "Oww." Ike managed to say weakly while rolling on the ground.

"Now what were you saying?" Yang asked in a toned that sounded sweet and menacing at the same time as she leaned over him.

"That I won't ever hurt Ruby." Ike gasped out.

"Good, and just remember." Yang then got close to Ike and whispered in his ear, "I can hit a lot harder." She then walked out the door slamming it on the way out. Leaving a crumpled Ike with a dent in his wall.

**-Back to Present Day-**

"Ahh good times." Ike said to himself sarcastically, as he put on his usual attire. Today would be a day that didn't involve Yang. He was going to go to downtown Vale and do a bit of shopping. He grabbed Aeolus off its rack and slung it across his back as he left, just in case he would need it. As he walked out of the door Ike was rewarded with a welcomed sight. Ruby, just stepping outside her own room. "Oh, hey Ruby." Ike said to the younger girl.

"Hey, Ike!" She responded in her normally cheerful tone. "What ya up to?"

"Just about to head into Vale. You wanna come with?"

"Well." Ruby said thinking for a moment. "Sure, I have nothing better to do. Just let me tell everyone." She then went back into her room and said something quickly, before shuting the door behind her. "Alright let's go." And with that Ike's day got momentously better. That was until someone grabbed Ike's shoulder and whisper into his ear.

"Don't forget our talk pretty boy." A fiery blonde said sweetly. This scared Ike slightly, but he quickly jogged a bit to catch up to Ruby.

"So, Ike." Ruby started.

"So, Ruby." He replied.

"I heard Yang had a talk with you a few days ago." Ike shuddered at the horrible memory of Yang's evil threat.

"Ya, why do you ask?"

"Well, she wouldn't tell me what it was about. She just said that you knew your place now. So, what was it about."

"It was umm… about… uhh… me cutting in front of her at lunch!" Ike said hoping that his pathetic answer would be enough.

"Ugh, Ike you where there when I threatened to eat the last pancake. You know how defensive she is." Ruby said completely shocked that her friend would do something so stupid.

Ike replied with a nervous laugh and said, "Ya, I guess I just forgot, opps."

"Well you're lucky she didn't hurt you or anything. Last time someone cut in front of her, she threw them into the ceiling, and they got stuck up there, and then they needed help down, and it was really embarrassing." Ruby said as she ended her short story, with her talking quicker and quicker near the end.

"This someone wouldn't be you would it?" Ike asking mockingly.

This made Ruby's face turn redder than her cloak. "Look, it isn't my fault Yang's a big bully." This response earned a small laugh from Ike.

As they rounded the last corner the headmaster of Beacon was standing there, but it wasn't as if they hadn't just run into him. He looked like he was… waiting for them.

"Ahh Mr. Mers and Mrs. Rose. How are you two today?"

"Fine thanks for asking." Ike responded easily.

"I'm good sir." Ruby replied a bit more formally.

"And where would you two be heading today?" Ozpin asked.

"Into town. We're going to do a bit of shopping." The blue hair teen replied.

"Ahh, I see. Before you do that may I speak with you Mr. Mers?"

"Certainly." Ike said as he began walking with Ozpin just out of earshot of Ruby. "What did you want to talk about?"

"It has to do with your classes. Or more specifically one class you aren't in."

"And what class would that be?"

"It's one that I'll be teaching. For you, and you alone."

"Why just me?" Ike asked completely confused.

"It has to do with the fact that you have no real teammates. You're a free agent." The headmaster paused, and stopped walking. "That makes you vulnerable. You must learn many things other students won't. Hunters and Huntresses fight the best with teammates, teammates that you might not always have." He then took a sip of his coffee. "Therefore, you will begin taking private lessons with me at exactly noon every Saturday starting next Saturday." Opzin then turned and faced the boy with a dead serious look on his face. "Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir." Ike said a bit nervously.

"Good, now have fun with your little… trip." The headmaster then disappeared into the maze that was Beacon drinking his cup of coffee. Ike then returned to Ruby who was waiting patiently.

"So what was that about?" She asked as she got up from sitting on the floor.

"I think Ozpin just told me he was going to tutor me." The tang wielder responded still a bit confused.

"Well that's… interesting. I'd see it as more of a privilege than anything. Now let's go, or we'll miss the ship." Ruby said as she began to drag Ike to the approaching ship, as he wondered what Ozpin had in mind for him.

As the ship landed Ike and Ruby got on and took a seat nearest to a window. Ike looked out and was still amazed by the sight of the city. "It's truly wonderful isn't it?" He said somewhat thinking out loud.

"What is?" His young companion asked.

"The city." This earned a small giggle from Ruby. "What's so funny?" He asked.

"Nothing you're just not from around here are you?"

"I guess you could say that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm from here just not here here. I grew up on the edge of the city and moved around a lot."

"Well why'd you do that?" Ruby asked. This was a difficult question for Ike. Even though he had become close with Ruby he wasn't ready to tell her about his past. This meant he had to choose his next words very carefully.

"Well, my parents couldn't really hold down a job, so we moved around town a lot."

"Ohh, so where did you get your weapons."

"Damn she's asking all the wrong questions." Ike thought to himself. "Uhh, it's actually kinda odd, but my dad won them in a poker game, and then gave them to me for a present." Ike said in a poorly crafted lie.

"Poker game? Is that all you could come up with?" Ike thought.

"Oh, well I guess not everyone gets to make their own weapon. It's weird though, because you seem to work really well with all of them. It's like you share a bond with them."

"Ya, well I've had them for quite some time, so we gotten accustom to each other." The two sat in silence for a while until Ike finally broke it. "Anyways, what about yourself?"

"What do you mean? Do you want to know about Crescent Rose?" Red asked.

"No, I mean like about yourself."

"Well what do you want to know?"

"Let's start easy. Tell me about your family." Blue said.

"Well, there's Yang who's my sister, but we only actually have the same dad. Then there's my uncle Qrow, who taught me everything. Then there's my parents, but I never really knew my mom that well."

"What happened to her?" Ike asked, but immediately regretted it, seeing the change in Ruby's expression. "Oh, sorry I didn't mean…" But he was then cut off by Ruby.

"It's fine. Both of my parents we're Hunter. My mom went out on a mission one day and never came back. I guess I always wanted to follow in her footsteps and be just like her." Red said, ending it with a chipper tone. That's when it hit Ike. All those years ago, when he buried James the girl in the red cloak. That was Ruby. He was amazed by how long it took for him to realize that. He could still see the image of the younger girl in front of the tombstone.

"I'm so sorry Ruby." The tang wielder said as he wrapped the younger girl into a hug, with her rested her head on his chest, and him with his head on hers. They stayed like that until the ship landed.

"You ready to go?" Ruby just looked up at him with her innocent silver eyes and nodded.

The two stepped off the ship and began to walk down the street. "Well, because you've never been in Vale for real. I'll show you around." Ruby said happily, as she changed her mood to her normal cheery one.

"Sounds good to me." Blue replied with a smile. Red then led the boy down the streets of Vale showing him some of her favorite spots.

"That's the ice cream place that serves 100 different flavors. Oh, and that café has the best cookies in the city." Were a few of the many places they stopped at.

"Ruby." Blue said stopping the girl as she floated from store to store.

"Yes Ike?"

"This is nice and all, but do you know where I can get some steel for my new gun?"

"Oooo, I know the perfect place!" Ruby squealed as she practical ripped Ike's arm of 'leading' him down the street.

The two eventually stopped in front of a gun smith. Ike patting like he had just run a marathon, but Ruby with her eyes wide and gleaming. "This is it." Ruby said walking into the store. Ike finally caught his breath and followed her.

As Ruby pushed open the door a small bell rang, signaling someone had walked in. "Hey Ruby." The man behind the counter said.

"Hey Taupe." Ruby replied, "This is Ike." She said pointing her thumb at Ike, who simply waved. Ruby then walked into the maze of shelves in the store.

"Do you have any steel?" Ike asked Taupe.

"What thickness?"

"Uhh… whatever you think would be good for a gun."

"Two inches should work!" Ruby yelled out from somewhere in the store.

"What she said." The blue haired teen said.

"Alright, that'll be 50 lien." Taupe said. Ike handed the man the lien and gave a quick thank you. That's when Ruby came back with all sorts of things in her hands.

"Uhh… you're buying all of that?" Ike asked.

"You should've seen her when she made Crescent Rose." The cashier said. "Alright, your total is 100 lien." Ruby handed over the money and grabbed her items. "Thanks Taupe. She you next week." Ruby called out as she walked out.

"Bye."

When the door closed Ike asked the obvious question. "You go there every week?"

"Sure do." Ruby responded happily. "You got anywhere else to go?"

"Ya, I have a few more things to grab." Ike said looking at his list. The two then walked back down the street to finish their shopping.

By the time they finished, it was around sunset again, and the two started walking back to the ship. Ike had spent a good bit of money that day, and he hoped he would have to take another trip like this for a while. As they walked back Ike felt like something was off. Like he was being watched. Little did he know an old friend was watching him from the roof tops. Eventually Ike had enough of the feeling and came up with a plan. He whispered to Ruby, "Take my stuff and go back to Beacon, and get help. More might come."

"More of who?" She asked confused.

"Just do it now." He commanded handing over everything, but his weapons. He then turned away from the girl, and faced back where they had just walked.

"Ike if someone's coming to hurt you, I want to stay and help."

Ike turned his head around and said, "You will be helping. Now go." And with that Ruby took off to the ship. "Now then. Whoever's out there come out now! I know you're here!" Then someone he didn't want to see dropped down from the roofs, and stood across from him. One of Victor's agents. Laurel Karlos. Laurel was probably one of Ike's best friends while working for Victor, mainly because they were around the same age. They began to get to know each other as time progress and they spent time together. Laurel knew about Ike's past, and Ike knew that Laurel had been constantly searching for a girl named Garnet Shire. The archer never knew what happened, but just figured they had gotten separated one day.

**(For a better description go here: alexandercyan,deviantart,com/art/Laurel-Karlos-Finished-461661136 Just put . instead of , and Leo sorry I changed the back story a bit, but I needed to make it work. Basically he never went to Beacon. Here's the weapon: alexandercyan,deviantart,com/art/Gamble-Soul-finished-465299774 Same deal as the character With the . and whatnot.) **

"Laurel, why are you here?" Ike asked calmly.

"Did you really think Victor would let you just leave? He's put a price on your head and it's a pretty big one." White hair boy replied circling Ike.

"So you're here to claim it?"

"Yep."

"Laurel you don't have to do this. Come back to Beacon with me. Maybe Garnet is there." Laurel didn't reply, but simply drew his weapon, Gamble Soul. "Last chance Laurel." Ike said grabbing Nero and Ichor, while pointing Ichor at him.

"Well that sucks." He then fired an arrow at Ike. Ike side stepped the arrow and let it slam into the building behind him. He looked over to the arrow stuck in the wall, and then back at Laurel, who was still looking right at him. Both with dead serious faces. Ike charged at his old friend jabbing at his stomach with Nero. Laurel stood with his weapon in front of him unmoving. Just as Nero was about to make contact Laurel disappeared dropping his weapon on the ground.

"I forgot about his semblance." Ike thought to himself. His thought was interrupted by a sharp kicked to the spine by Laurel. This threw Ike forward who rolled back up to his feet. The white haired teen then began firing arrows at his old friend. Ike slashed the first few out of the air, but then they began coming at a much more rapid pace. He dove over a pair of then and rolled under the next two, taking off in a dead sprint. "Remember Ike, you need him alive." Blue thought to himself. He then jumped off the ground, launching himself at a building. He landed around the third story of a building. When his feet hit the wall he switched his weapons to Aeolus and launched himself right at Laurel. While in the air he shot an electric arrow and hooded teen's feet, paralyzing him. Ike then slammed his shoulder into his foe's stomach and skidded on top of him. However, before Blue could deliver a knockout blow Laurel kicked him off of him and rolled back to his feet.

The two began to circle each other, waiting for the opponent to make a move. Ike switched his bow back to its blade form and charged. Laurel fired arrows at Ike, who managed to dodge them, all except for one. One of the arrows plunged into Ike's shoulder, stopping his momentum, and causing him to hiss in pain as he ripped it out. This gave Laurel the opening he was looking for as he charged forward. Laurel swung the right side of his bow aiming for Ike's neck. Ike barely had time to see it as his reflexes kicked in and he ducked under it. While in a crouched position, Ike kicked Laurel in the chest, sending him skidding back. He then charged forwards and swung Ichor into Gamble Soul, knocking it out of Laurel's reach. The issue was Laurel was still deadly.

The white haired boy began launching a flurry of attacks at Ike, who blocked them with the flats of his blade. Ike then sprang backwards and formed Aeolus again. As he landed he notched an ice arrow and drew back ready to fire. Only there was an issue. Laurel was gone.

Ike began to aim randomly at sounds that he heard. This lasted for a few seconds, until Ike heard Laurel say, "Boo." The blue haired teen turned ready to fire, but was too late. He was meet with a hard blow to the stomach causing him to double over. This was followed shortly by a knee to the face, which caused Ike to drop Aeolus, and fall onto his back. Laurel walked over with Aeolus in his hands as he positioned himself over Ike looking down at him. An arrow notched. "Sorry it had to end this way, my friend." He said ready to launch the killing blow. Until Ruby pulled through.

"Hey!" She yelled drawing Laurel attention. "Step away from him!" Ike looked over to see teams RWBY and JNPR standing in the road, all with their weapons drawn. And Ruby aiming at Laurel. Ike knew Laurel would soon fade away, so he sweep his legs from under him and quickly stood up. Both teens retrieved their weapons as the two teams from Beacon arrived.

"All of you, stay back. This is my fight." Ike called out to his friends, who all immediately stopped. The two began to circle each other once more, and as Ike switched back to Nero and Ichor, Laurel charged. Laurel attempted to punch Ike with his right hand, which Ike jumped back from. The hooded teen then swung his blade bow at Ike sideways, who blocked it with Nero. Laurel shifted the force he but on the bow, and sent the other end at Ike, who blocked with Ichor. Ike then swung the flat of Nero at Laurel, who brought his bow back to a vertical position and blocked with the top blade. Ichor's flat then came from the other side and was blocked by the bottom blade. The teens were in a stalemate as they pushed their weapons against one another.

Ike then kicked Laurel's chest giving him an opening. He then stabbed an electric arrow into his hooded foe's right foot. While Laurel was being shocked, Ike delivered a devastating round house kick to Laurel's side, throwing him into a nearby building. Blue then got up and ran over to Laurel to see if he was unconscious, which he was. Ike was left completely exhausted, and fell down to one knee.

"Ike!" Ruby yelled out as she ran overto his side. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Ruby." Ike said as the rest gathered around him.

"Oh thank Monty." Red replied as she hugged him. "But don't ever do anything that stupid again!"

This earned a small laugh from Ike. "Fine, I won't. Can you guys help me with him though?" He said gesturing towards the unconscious teen.

"Uh, what are we doing with him?" Jaune asked.

"Taking him to Beacon. We're going to try to get him to stay there."

"Are you crazy?" Yang asked.

"Probably, did you see what just happened?" Blue replied. "Now someone pick him just and let's go." He said getting back up. Nora then walked over to Laurel and threw him over her shoulder. She then skipped back to the rest of her friends. 

The ride back to Beacon was uneventful. There were a few people who gave weird looks to the group, but that could've been from either the unconscious teen, or a motion sick Jaune. Or both. As they got back to Beacon Ike picked up Laurel and thanked his friends, but told them he had to talk with Ozpin alone.

The blue haired teen carried his old friend to Ozpin's office and opened the door. "Ahh, Mr. Mers. Who do you have there?" The headmaster asked.

"He's an old friend of mine, his name is Laurel Karlos. We got into a bit of a… argument."

"I can see that. What do you want me to do with him?"

"A few things. First, I want him to be accepted into Beacon. I can vouch for his skills in combat. Secondly, I want to restrain him. Make sure we somehow cancel out his semblance, because he can pretty much turn into a ghost. And finally, check if we have a student named Garnet Shire. If we do then contact her, and tell her he's here." Ike said in a somewhat commanding tone.

"And if I refuse?" The professor asked.

"Then I leave. It's obvious you have some kind of plan for me and I'm guessing you don't want me walking away." Blue replied bluntly.

Ozpin thought about the offer before him for a few moments before saying. "You're playing a very dangerous game of chess, young man."

"I know that." Ike replied.

"Very well, I will make the arrangements, and contact you when he wakes up. For now just leave him in that chair."

"Thank you so much sir." Ike said as he placed down his friend and opened the door.

"You're quite welcome." Professor Ozpin said. Ike then walked out the door leaving Ozpin alone in his office. He pressed a button on the phone on his desk and said into it, "Professor Goodwitch. Will you please bring me in the chair with the dust restraints on it?"

"What did you do now?" Came an annoyed voice from the phone.

**-Later-**

Ike was sitting at the top of one of Beacon's many towers looking up at the stars. He did this every once in a while at night. It always seemed to relax him, and brought back only memories. "Every though the world may change, the star will always stay the same." Came James's voice inside Ike's head.

"Hey Ike." Came the voice soft and innocent voice of Ruby.

Ike didn't even turn to face her, but simply gazed at the stars. "Hi Ruby." Ruby walked over to Ike and sat down next to him. "They're wonderful aren't they?" Ike said talking about the stars.

"Ya, I guess they are."

Blue looked over to Red, who was looking straight into his eyes. Neither one wanting to break the contact, but Ike eventually did. Turning his view over towards the city. "I know you didn't come up here for small talk. So why are you here?" He asked sounding a lot like Ozpin.

"I wanted to talk about today. Who was that guy who attacked you? Why did you carry him back to Beacon? Why was he after you? And what did you mean by more people might come? Who else would've come?" Ruby asked looking right at Ike, but her gaze wasn't returned.

Ike sighed and looked down towards the ground. "I really wished I could've kept this a secret, but I knew that dream was an unrealistic one. Everything that happened today was because of my past. Because of what I've done." Ike paused for a moment, but Ruby didn't say a word.

"Do you remember how I said my father won my weapons gambling?" Ruby nodded. "Well that was a lie. I got them from a man named Victor. He helped forge them for me alone." Ike then turned his head towards Ruby who looked completely confused.

"None of this is really making sense." Ruby said.

Ike sighed again and continued. "I supposed for any of this to make sense I have to start from the beginning. I was born into a not so great family. I had an older brother named James, a mom who stayed at home, and a dad who worked in the black market. One dad my dad left and just never came back. He died that day. My mother soon died because of the grief his death caused. It was like she just gave up living. She wouldn't move. She wouldn't eat. She wouldn't do anything. All she wanted to do was died. And then she did." This was when tears began to drop off of Ike's cheeks into the darkness below.

"Ike you don't have to do this." Ruby said comfortingly and she placed her hand on Ike's shoulder. Ike didn't even budge though. He just kept staring downwards.

"Yes I do. You have a right to know." Ike wiped away his tears and pressed on wards. "After my mother died James and I lived on the streets. We taught ourselves how to fight, but not well. That's when Victor came in. He offered us a bed, food, money, and training. Seeing no other option, my brother accepted his offer. We trained long and hard with Victor, until he deemed us ready. That's when we joined the organization. It never had a name, but that's what everyone called it. It was there that I meet Laurel, the person I fought today. James's and mine's job was to be bounty hunters of a sort. We were more like mercenaries, but looking back at it now we were just criminals." Ike practical spat the last word out.

"I'm sure you didn't do anything to make yourself a criminal. Torchwick's a criminal." Red said, trying to help her friend.

"We were. We hunted down the targets Victor told us to, and either captured or killed them depending on the mission. I'm not proud of it, but we did it to survive. We did this for years upon years, until one day we got a mission that changed my life." This was the part Ike didn't want to go into, but knew he had to. He didn't even like to think about that horrible night, and now he had to talk about it. "We were to capture a man named The Wessel. Victor didn't want anyone killed during the mission. It didn't end that way though. He was holding up in a factory, and that's where we attacked him. Everything was going well, until… until…" Ike choked on the next few words. He opened his mouth, but nothing would come out.

"Ike, if you want to stop you can." Ruby said. It was at this point Ike had noticed she had wrapped her arms around him.

"No, I need to finish." Blue took a deep breath in and continued. "Until I heard a shot ring out. I looked over to see James falling over. Blood pooling out of his chest." Tears were steadily flowing from Ike's eyes now, and his voice would waver and crack. Ike pressed on though. "The Wessel shot him, and left before I could do anything. My rage set in, and I don't even remember what happened. All I know is that I called Victor, quit the organization, and had burned the building down. Everyone inside died. I later buried James on a hill. That was actually the first time I saw you. You were a few hundred yards away from me, visiting your mother's grave. Anyways, I only took the gun he had with him that day and his sunglasses. I hung his hat on the tombstone. I still have the gun. You named it Red Mortem."

Realization set in for Ruby as she now knew why the weapon was so important to him. "As for the glasses. I lost those during initiation. They were shattered while I was fighting the Death Stalker. My rage set in again, and that's why I fought as if my shoulder wasn't as bad as it was. That's why I was so cold to you on top of the cliff. I lost one of the very few things I had to remind myself of James. And then today. Apparently Victor has a bounty on my head, and Laurel came to claim it. He wants me either back or dead, and doesn't care which."

"Ike, you know you aren't alone in this, right?"

"I know, that's why I'm going to stop him though. I have to protect you guys from this. I guarantee Laurel won't be the last person to attack me over this, but he may be the only who lives. Knowing the pain I've gone through, and the pain Laurel has as well, I couldn't kill him. I'm going to convince him to stay here. I'm going to convince him to change his life." Ike looked back up at the moon with tears in his eyes. He then put his hand on Ruby's arm that was on his chest. Then he looked back into the eyes of the girl sitting next to him. They shined as brighter than the stars themselves. "I'm sorry I've put you through all of this."

"Ike, it's not your fault. Your past is your past, what matters is what's happening in the present. What matters is that you're here now. I'm sorry about everything that has happened, but I promise things will get better. We'll get through this. Together." The faith that Ruby had in a bright future brought a smile to Ike's lips. Despite knowing of his past, despite knowing he was a criminal, despite the dangers that were in the future. She still accepted him and stood by him.

Ike looked back to the stars and then to Ruby again. Her eyes looked even brighter than before. Her hair made her look beautiful while it blew in the wind, and her smile made her look like a goddess. And the way she looked at him he could she was seeing something similar in him. It was like if Monty had painted this picture himself, and Ike wasn't going to blow his chance. He closed his eyes, leaned in, and kissed her.

Her lips were incredible soft, and he never wanted this moment to end, unfortunately it had to. As they pulled away from each other, he gazed back into her shining eyes, and could tell she felt the same spark that he did. Ike then stood up and helped Ruby to her feet. They stood only inches apart with both of their hands interlocked. "Thanks for tonight Ruby." He said as he kissed her again. The same spark was there again. He then pulled away and backed away from the girl. The two connected their hands, until they would no longer reach each other.

As Ike walked down the stairs, he turned back to look at her one more time that night. And she looked more radiant than the sun. A small smile appeared on his face again as he said. "And please, keep my history and the rest of this night to ourselves for now. Yang's kinda scary." He heard her giggle as he walked back down the stairs. Leaving the younger girl still at the top of the tower wondering one thing.

"Did that really just happen?"

* * *

**Yep that really just happened. Everything's kicking off now. I didn't want to kill off an OC someone had submitted, so I'll probably just kill off my own people. I hope a few of those scenes didn't seem too crappy, because I'm super nervous about this chapter, mainly because this was the first chapter I have done without the cannon as a guideline. So, some feedback would be nice even if it's constrictive criticism. Next, this chapter is around 5,750 words with these ANs, which is a new record. Can't imagine I'll beat this one either, but I've said that before. Also, did anyone watch the trailer. IT WAS AMAZING! I've started watching Fairy Tail as well, so if you haven't seen it, watch it. It's a great anime. I'm still open for any evil OCs anyone has to offer. So hopefully everyone liked this chapter, and yet again thanks to those who submitted OCs and thanks to everyone for getting me this far. Don't forget to pm or review, because it's great getting to talk to everyone. I have to work now so bye everyone :D **


	9. Chapter 9: The Calm Before the Storm

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I just got really busy and what not. Also, is anyone else sure excited about the RWBY game? I am! I had the free download for a while, but now that RoosterTeeth is picking it up I think it'll be amazing. Anyways enjoy the chapter. More important stuff at the bottom.**

* * *

Ike was worried, and not the "Oh no, I didn't do an assignment" worried he was on the edge of falling apart completely. It had been a week sense he had fought Laurel, and his friend had yet to wake up. The nurses in the infirmary said that he would be fine, and would wake up soon, but Ike was still unsure. As was another Beacon student. Yes, Garnet had found her way into Beacon, and she had yet to leave Laurel's side.

The tang wielder made regular visits to the infirmary, and would always see Garnet with her head resting on Laurel's chest. Garnet was a red headed girl, whose hair reaches halfway down her neck. She wore loose, black pants. She also has a red undershirt long with a black jacket. Laurel himself was covered in bandages, and laying in a bed, sleeping peacefully.

Blue couldn't help but feel terrible about what was happening to both of the teens. Even though it was in self-defense, he wished he wouldn't have hit him so hard. Ike was pacing around in his room when he looked over to his clock. 11:55. "Oh no, not again!" Ike yelled as he bolted out of his door. He had completely forgotten about his private class with Ozpin. "Oh no, oh no, oh no." Blue chanted as he ran through groups of students.

He was sure there was no way he would make it in time. As a group of students walked down the wrong side of the hallways, the late teen jumped over their heads, landing with a roll. He then sprinted onwards, weaving in and out of the students. Then there was times where a wall of people would be walking. A few times Ike jumped over their heads, and even threw in a wall run here and there. He rounded the last corner and could see door to Ozpin's office. Then Nora turned a corner in front of him.

"Oh, hey Ike!" She bellowed. Unfortunately the other teen was moving too fast for him to slow himself down. He slammed straight into the poor girl, sending them both into the ground. Nora fell onto her back, while Ike was going to fall onto his face, however the archer rolled upon impact of the ground and lost almost no momentum.

"Hi Nora! Sorry can't really talk right now. Bye!" The late teen said throwing the door to Ozpin's office open.

"Ok! Bye!" The orange haired girl replied happily as she got back up and skipped down the hall.

As he ran through the reception part of the office, Professor Goodwitch was sitting there, typing away.

"Ahh, Mr. Mers. Professor Ozpin is waiting for you." She said without looking up as a flash of Blue flew past her. The wind from such flash knocked her glasses off and messed up her hair. She looked up and gave a less than happy look to the boy blasting through the next door.

He finally burst through the door to Ozpin's office and fell exhausted. "I'msosorryI'mlateforclasssirit'llneverhappenagain." He said in one breath.

"Actually, you're exactly on time." The headmaster said looking at his watch. "Now please take your seat." He gestured towards a desk that someone had drug into the office. Ike walked over to the seat, and opened up his notebook as Ozpin walked over to a chalkboard and picked up a piece of chalk. While looking at the board he said, "I hardly think you'll need that."

"Why is that, sir?" The student asked totally confused.

"You see this isn't just a lecture." Ozpin then turned around and faced Ike. "This class will be," the older man paused for a moment, trying to find the right word. "Completely hand's on. For a lack of better words." He then walked over towards his desk and pressed a button, while Ike was still wondering what was going to happen to him.

"Am I going to have to fight Ozpin?" Ike thought to himself. "Wait can Ozpin even fight?"

"Professor Goodwitch, will you please send in our guests for today." The door then burst open and four men walked in tailed by a somewhat disheveled Glynda Goodwitch.

"Am I going to have to fight these guys?" Ike thought to himself. Ike looked at the four men. The first looked like he belonged in an insane asylum. The next was dressed in regular street clothes. After him stood a man in a finely pressed suit. The final man looked like he was meant to be in a prison. After looking at all of the men Ike thought that he could take all of them down. It wouldn't be an easy fight, but it was winnable. That is if he had brought his weapons. "Ahh crap." He thought to himself. "I'm screwed."

"Here they are, sir." The headmistress said very formally. "And Mr. Mers." She then looked over to the students and stared daggers at him. "You'll wish you were never born if you mess up my appearance again." She then turned around and walked back out the door leaving a very scared Ike.

"Thank you Professor Goodwitch." Ozpin said easily. "Now then, Mr. Mers." Ozpin turned and looked directly at Ike. "Do you know why we have brought these men in today?"

"Umm… To fight them?" Ike said, but really asked.

"No. Today you will learn who to make alliances with. Before you stands four men. Two are criminals, one is a regular civilian, and the last is a hunter. What you will do is inspect these men and decided which is which. Begin." Ike thought this was a rather easy challenge. That was a stupid thought.

"Well let's see here." Ike's subconscious said to him. "It's obvious which one is which. Just look at them. Or is that what Ozpin wants you to think? Or maybe there's a pattern? Or maybe Ozpin knew you would over think it, so he made it easy?" Blue looked over towards the headmaster, who was wearing an evil smile on his face. "Screw it, I'm going with my gut." That was another stupid thought.

"The first and last are criminals, the second is a hunter, and the third is the civilian." Ike said confidently.

"Are you sure?" The headmaster asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Yes?" Ozpin sighed and looked somewhat disappointed.

"Tell me Mr. Mers, how did you make your decision?"

"Well, I based it off of appearance." The tang wielder said, knowing that he did something wrong.

"Ahh I see." Ozpin then took another drink of coffee. "Appearance isn't the incorrect answer. It's the fact you used outward appearance that was wrong."

"What does that mean, sir?" Ike asked entirely confused.

"You must look within these men to see their true intentions. Look at their soul." The professor responded. "You must channel your aura into your eyes. Forget about all other senses and focus on your sight, then you will be able to understand what I mean." Ike nodded and closed his eyes. He completely relaxed himself and then cleared his mind. Then he did as his teacher told him. He could feel power radiating from the backs of his eyes. Then he opened them.

What Ike saw was like nothing he had ever experienced. The world around him was dark, except for the people in the room. Everything seemed to be fuzzy though. Almost as if they were all ghosts. He looked over towards Professor Ozpin to see him a light blue color. He then looked back at the four men. The first was radiating the same color as the headmaster. The next two were shaded blood red. The final man was a pure white color. Ike's head began to hurt, and he began to feel weak. He had had enough of this odd ghost vision. He was brought back to reality and his senses returned. "What did you see?" Ozpin asked.

"Everything was dark, except for the people. You and the first man were blue, the next two were red, and the last was white."

"Good that means everything went well. What you saw is the best way to know your true allies. The first man and I were blue, because we will both fight on your side. We are your allies. The next two men were red, due to the fact that they have committed crimes. They would be your enemies. The final man is white, because he's a civilian. He will neither fight for or against you."

"So I was completely wrong the first time?" Ike asked.

"Yes." Ozpin replied. As soon as he said that though his scroll beeped. He picked it up and read something on it before saying.

"It appears that's all the more time we have for today. Someone just woke up." This new lit up Ike's face. "Class dismissed." Ike grabbed his belongs and was halfway through the door in the blink of an eye, when the words of Ozpin stopped him. "Before you leave know two things. One, do not use the tactic I just taught you for long, or else it will have serious repercussions. Two, even though Laurel is restrained and has Garnet there, he is still very dangerous. I would recommend grabbing your weapons and expect the worse." Ike simply nodded and sprinted out the door. Yet again, the wind he produced destroyed Professor Goodwitch's appearance. By the time he was rounding the corner he could hear the woman yell.

"MR. MERS! WHAT DID I JUST TELL YOU?!"

"Well, won't be visiting her anytime soon." Ike thought to himself. He continued down the halls avoiding all the students along the way. He threw open his door, grabbed Aeolus, and rushed back out.

As the sprinted towards the infirmary, he passed by a young red head.

"Hey Ike! Where ya going?" Ruby asked as Ike flew past her.

"Hi Ruby! Going to the infirmary. Need to talk to you sometime soon. Bye!" The tang wielder called out as he rounded another corner.

"Umm… Alright then. Bye." Red responded a bit confused.

Ike finally reached the doors to the infirmary, and rushed inside. He would've asked the receptionist where Laurel was, but two factors deemed that unneeded. The first was the fact that he had visited him regularly. The second was that he could hear Garnet from where he was. As he pushed open the door, Ike saw a scene that warmed his heart. It was Garnet wrapping Laurel in the biggest hug ever. Tears ran freely down her eyes as she talked about how much she missed her friend, and how she had spent years looking for him. She told him that eventually she figured he would've come to Beacon, because of how well he fought. Then she talked about how crushed she was when she noticed that he wasn't there.

Ike knew that his business was important, but figured it could wait until this perfect moment ended. The two teens just sat there holding each other. Happy that they were together again. The injured teen finally looked over his friend's shoulder to see Ike in the doorway. "Oh, hey Ike." Laurel said, but the great thing was he wasn't talk like he had a week ago. He sounded like the friend he knew.

"Hey."

"Oh, uhh, Ike this is Garnet. Garnet this is…" The red headed girl then cut him off.

"We know each other." She said with a smile.

"Really? How?"

"Well, Garnet hardly ever left this place, so we got to know each other pretty well over the past week."

"Week? I've been out for a week?" The white haired teen replied stunned.

"Yep, it was a pretty solid round house." Ike replied.

"Ya, you didn't have to hit him that hard." Garnet said with fire in her eyes.

"Hey, its fine. He did what he had to do to protect himself. I'm lucky he didn't just kill me."

"I guess." Garnet said with a bit of anger.

"Now we do have business to discuss." The tang wielder said.

"I guess we do." Laurel said far more serious. "Garnet, can you please leave us to talk privately?"

"Of course, just don't end up trying to kill each other again." She answered with a smile. She then walked out the door and closed it. Once the door latched, the mood was serious once more.

"So about this bounty on my head."

"I understand that you might be angry and you have a reason to be, but having Garnet again, I can and will leave the organization." Laurel said attempting to defend himself. "I'm sorry."

Ike pause for a bit letting fear sink into Laurel. He finally said, "Its fine. I just need info."

"Well you know how Victor works. I have nothing to tell you." Laurel said depressingly.

"Nothing?"

"Well, if you could get to one of the higher-ups you might be able to find Victor's location." Laurel said giving a bit of hope.

"Ya, but the question is how do we get to a higher-up. They're just as secretive as Victor himself." Blue said hoping to find an answer.

"Well, your best bet is Eisenhower. He's the sloppiest of all of them."

"Ya, but he'll still be hard to find."

"I suppose he will be. I'm sure you'll figure it out though." Laurel said with a smile.

"Hopefully, well I suppose that's all we have to discuss." Ike stood up to leave, but was stopped by a man's voice.

"I don't think it is." Both teens looked over to see Professor Ozpin standing in the doorway. "There is a certain request that you had that we need to take care of." Ike had completely forgot about wanting Laurel to stay at Beacon. "I don't think these restraints are needed either." The headmaster walked over to the bed and released the restraints. Laurel sat up and rubbed his wrists and ankles.

"Ahh, that feels much better." The white haired teen said. "Now what was the request he made?"

"Well." Ozpin started, "Mr. Mers wanted you to stay here at Beacon. That is if you accept."

"Yes, I definitely will."

"Good, even though Mr. Mers has vouched for your fighting skill, you will still need to go through an initiation."

"I understand." The injured teen responded.

"Excilent. Now, Miss. Shire will you rejoin us." Ozpin called out. The red headed girl rejoined the room. "The fourth member of team AGIL recently dropped out of Beacon leaving them a student down. This means that we have to find a replacement, so Miss Garnet, met your new teammate Laurel Karlos. Mr. Karlos you are now a member of team AGIL. And fortunately we don't have to change the team name for include your initials. When you are released Miss. Shire will lead you to your room."

"OH, YES YES YES YES YES! THANK YOU SO MUCH PROFESSOR OZPIN!" Garnet bellowed as she wrapped Laurel into another bear hug.

"Well as much as I'd love to stay, I have to go to lunch. Bye guys." Ike said as he walked out the door.

"Bye." Laurel choked out.

"Goodbye Mr. Mers." Ozpin said. Ike then left the infirmary. Leaving it with two excited teens and a headmaster with a smile on his face.

Ike was finally able to walk to his destination. There was no sprinting, no jumping, and no weaving. Just a nice calm walk. He finally walked into the cafeteria to see Nora telling a story that seemed to captivate a few of his friends, which wasn't odd. What was odd was Jaune looked depressed and only stabbed at his food. He eventually grabbed a plate of chicken and sat down next to Ruby as Nora yelled out, "DOZENS OF THEM!"

"Two of the." Ren corrected showing no hint of even caring.

"Another story?" Ike whispered to the young red head.

"Ya, it's about Beowolves or Ursi or something like that. I can never tell with Ren always correcting her." She whispered back.

"Well you can't really blame him. Anyways, what's up with Jaune?"

"No clue. He's been like this all day."

"But they were no match, and in the end Ren and I took the down and made a boat load lien selling Ursa skin rugs." The pink clad girl said. Though nobody was listening anymore they were too worried about Jaune.

Ren bowed his head down and sighed. "She's been having this reoccurring dream for nearly a month now."

Finally Pyrrha asked the question they were all wondering. "Jaune are you okay?"

"Huh?" Jaune said finally snapped out of his daydreaming state. "Oh. Yeah. Why?"

"It's just you seem a little… Not okay." Ruby commented.

"Yeah, you've been poking at your food ever since I got here." Blue added.

All eyes were now on Jaune as he said, "Guys I'm fine. Seriously. Look." He gave a sheepish smile and a thumbs up, but soon lost it. He looked over to another table to see team CRDL picking on a bunny eared Faunus.

"Jaune Cardin has been picking on you since the first week of school." Pyrrha said as Jaune angrily made a fist.

"Who? Cardin Winchester? He just likes to mess around. Ya know, practical jokes." Jaune said defending the other teen for some reason.

"He's a bully." Red commented.

"And a big one at it." Blue added.

"Oh please name one time he's "bullied" me." Jaune replied adding finger quotes to the word bullied. The group then responded by naming off three.

"Well there was the time he slapped you books out of your hands." Yang pointed out.

"Oh come on, like that hasn't happened to everyone." Jaune said.

"Then he got you stuck in a door with your own sield." Pyrrha added.

"That could've been a mistake."

"And the time he pushed you into a locker and shot you off." Ike said.

"I didn't land far from the school." The awkward swordsman said.

"Jaune you know if you ever need help you can just ask." His partner said trying to cheer him up.

"I KNOW!" Nora yelled standing up. "WE'LL BREAK HIS LEGS!"

"Guys really its fine." Jaune said standing up. "Besides, it's not like he's obly a jerk to me. He's a jerk to everyone." Team CRDL then started pulling on the poor girl's rabbit ears. She begged them to stop, but they just keep calling her a freak. The girl eventually escaped and walked away, crying.

"That's it if Jaune won't do anything about them, I will." Ike then stood up and walked over to CRDL. "Hey!" He called out. Cardin was the first one to turn around, and was greeted by a firm punch to the face. He was then launched from his seat and into a wall. "Who's next?" The archer said as he cracked his neck.

The remaining three charged at him, but there was no way they were going to win. Dove reach him first and swung at him. Ike ducked under the blow, and jabbed his kidney. He followed this with a strong kick to the back, throwing the teen into his leader. Russel and Sky charged at the same time. Sky went for a kick while Russel tried an uppercut. Ike jumped away from both attacks, and let the two collide. Sky's foot connected with Russel's head, while the uppercut connected to Sky's jaw. Both teens were thrown back, unable to keep fighting.

Ike looked around at the devastation around him. Team CRDL was knocked out cold by Ike's assault. A few tables and chairs were destroyed, and almost everyone was impressed. Ike had single handily devastated an entire team without his weapons. The tang wielder was pretty proud of himself, until Professor Goodwitch's voice came over the PA system.

"Ike Mers, report to the headmaster's office now!"

"Well she doesn't sound happy" Ike thought to himself as he put his hands behind his head and began to walk towards Ozpin's office.

Ike was extremely worried what would happen to him. Detention, expulsion, DEATH? The headmistress seem agrier than even, and that wasn't a good thing for Ike.

He opened the door to see Glynda Goodwitch not at her desk. "She did say the headmaster's office." Blue said to himself. He opened the next door to see a completely different scene. A calm as ever Professor Ozpin sat at his desk drinking from his mug. Next to him stood a Professor Goodwitch that would scare Hades. "Mr. Mers!" She started. "Do you realize the severity of your actions? You could've seriously injured an entire team!"

"Yes, ma'am." was all Ike dared to say.

"You also destroyed school property and put students in danger!"

"She's correct Mr. Mers." Professor Ozpin added. "However, after reviewing the tapes I have decided that you did what was best."

"WHAT!?" Glynda and Ike said at the same time.

"Yes. Ike stood up for the rights of others, and is that not what this institution is here for? We are here to not only train young warriors, but teach them values and morals. It appears Mr. Mers has already learned quite a bit." Ozpin then gave the students a death glare. "However, you did use violence in a situation that could've been defused without it. That being said you will be let off with a warning, but understand this is the only one you will get."

"Yes, of course, sir. Thank you." Ike stood up and walked out the door, relieved that he still had his body intact.

"You know you shouldn't be that easy on them." The Huntress scolded.

The headmaster sighed and said. "Yes I know, however extreme punishments will lead to nothing but resentment, and that is something we can't have. Especially with the way the world is now."

Ike strolled down the hallway walking nowhere in particular, when a voice caught his attention. "Hey Ike, wait up!" Blue turned around to see Ruby running his way. She skidded to a stop right next to him.

"Oh hey Ruby." The tang wielder said as he began walking again. Ruby quickly matched his pace and walked next to him.

"So, what did Professor Goodwitch want?"

"My head." Ike said over exaggerating, but he didn't think so. Ruby giggled a bit at what she thought was a joke and asked.

"What did she really want?"

"To yell at me for beating the living hell out of team CRDL."

"Did she?" The scythe wielder asked somewhat concerned.

"Yep, but Ozpin let me off the hook with just a warning." Ike said happily

"Oh, well that's good. Anyways… Why were you in such a hurry to get to the infirmary today?"

"Laurel woke up." Ike had told Ruby plenty about Laurel during the week he was asleep.

"Really? That's awesome! But what's going to happen to him?" The young girl asked with a bit of fear.

"He's staying here at Beacon. He's decided to leave the organization for Garnet. He's part of team AGIL."

"Wow, I guess that's pretty lucky."

"Ya I suppose it is." The two walked in silence for a bit, until Ruby asked the question that was bugging her all day.

"So, when you passed me today, you said you need to talk to me soon. What did you need to say?" Ike forgot about saying that. He knew what he wanted to say, just not how to say it.

"Oh ya… ummmm… I uhh, wanted to… uhh." Ike said fumbling over his own words. "Real smooth there lady killer." His subconscious said to him. Fortunately Michael and Gavin from team LADS walked by.

"I'm telling you Micoo just ask her. She won't say no."

"Ya, I know, but asking a girl out is pretty scary. Especially one as awesome as Lindsey."

"Just go for it you big baby." Gavin said, who received a playful punch to the arm.

"Just go for it." Ike thought to himself. "Ruby," He said with new found confidence. "I was wondering if you wanted to…" And that's where his confidence ran out.

Ruby giggled at how long it had taken Ike to say a few simple words, so she helped him. "Ike?"

"Ya?"

"Are you asking me out?"

"Ya." He said looking down at the ground. Ruby then lifted his chin up and gave him a short kiss.

"Well, the answer's yes."

"Really? Great! Does next Saturday around 7:00 work?"

"Sure does." Ruby said rocking on her feet.

"Alright see you then."

"Bye." Ruby said as she walked down the hallway both excited and nervous. The nervousness wasn't about the date though. It was about Yang. It was around the same time that Ruby thought of Yang that Ike did too.

"Oh, no. I forgot to ask Yang." He said to himself.

Ruby walked into her dorm room far happier than ever. "What's gotten into you sis?" Yang asked.

"Oh nothing. Just that Ike asked me out on a date for next week."

"He did what?!" Yang yelled with fire in her eyes once more. She didn't even wait for a response as she charged out the door and into Ike's room. Luckily for her the door wasn't locked and she walked, or rather ran in.

Inside sat Ike, who instantly saw Yang, and had flashback to around a few weeks ago. "Yang, give me a chance to explain." He said, nervously.

"Listen Ike!" She said with anger in her eyes and venom pouring out of her mouth. "If you want to date Ruby, you have to have my permission." She continued emphasizing the last word.

"Fair enough." Ike replied. "Yang, and I please ask Ruby out on a date?"

Yang simply smiled evilly as she said. "It's not that easy. You have to earn that privilege."

"And how do I do that?"

"Beating me. Meet me at the practice floor at six tomorrow, and don't be late." And with that Yang walked out the door, leaving Ruby looking into the room with a face that said 'sorry my sister's a psychopath.' Ike simply gave her a smile back reassuring her. The young girl then walked back into her room as Ike flopped into his bed.

"What have I gotten myself into?" he said to himself as he looked up at the ceiling. He was nervous to say the least, but knew he wouldn't lose. He couldn't lose.

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**Remember when I wrote 2500 word chapters? Ahh good times. Anyways, I have a few announcements. First, next chapter could end up being really long, so do you guys want a one part chapter, that will take a while, or do you want a 2 parter that will be shorter each chapter, but come out quicker? So make sure for pm me for your vote. Well, I don't have to work today, so I'm going to enjoy my day off. Bye everyone! And don't forget to pm me and send me a review.**


	10. Chapter 10: The Tip of the Iceberg

**Well here it is, my present to you guys. A new longest chapter. Sorry if some of it feels a bit rushed, I know that my writing gives that off quite a bit, but that's just because of lack of experience. Anyways, I mentioned a person named Eisenhower last chapter I think, so I need a look for him along with a weapon. His semblance has been chosen, and I know what his personality will be. If you want to make his appearance and or weapons feel free to pm me. Keep in mind he is in his mid 30s and not as old as Ike. That's all I have for now until the bottom AN so enjoy :D**

* * *

Ike sat in Professor Port's class as nervous as ever. Why you might ask? Because there was an insane blond who was ready to murder him as soon as the bell rang. Yes, today was the day Yang would attempt to pulverize Ike. The only thing that motivated the tang wielder to go through with this was the knowledge he was doing this for Ruby. He looked over at the blond, who continued to stare at him. And it wasn't some cute stare either. It was the kind of stare a hunter gives its prey before it murders it. "Alright Ike, just calm down. If you let her in your head then you're done for." He was right these we're the mental games Yang was trying to play.

"Yang leave him alone. I'm sure he's already worried about today." Ruby whispered to her sister.

"Oh, I hope he is. The more paranoid he is the easier this will be." She replied

Port then came in and saved the day for a moment. He cleared his throat loudly and earned everyone's attention. "Miss. Xiao Long. Will you please stop staring at Mr. Mers and pay attention?" Yang turned in her seat and faced the teacher once again. "Thank you. Now as I was saying Lazer and I were stuck in a deep mine, along with my pet cow Edgar. We faced certain doom as Vav talked about what type of music my child liked." Then Yang stopped caring and began to play mind games with Ike, again. The bell finally rang, but Blue couldn't tell if he was happy, or horrified. The blond would finally stop trying to play with his head, but know she was going to try to kill him.

"I wonder if I had just asked her first if this would be happening." He thought to himself. The answer came almost instantly. "Yes." Ike retrieved his weapons from his room and changed into his normal attire. As he slowly approached the training room Ike constantly told himself that he could win, and took deep breaths in and out. He opened the door to see Yang, reloading her weapons. The rest of tea RWBY and team JNPR were there as well, but that was it.

Ike walked over to Ruby and whispered, "Wow, I expected a lot more people."

"Yang told everyone that if they came, she'd kill them too."

"Oh, well that's… pleasant. So you think I can win?"

"Definitely, I've seen you fight. Yang doesn't have a chance." Ruby replied.

"Thanks." The tang wielder responded with a smile. Ruby stuck out her lips for a kiss, but didn't get one. Instead she got Ike telling her, "Ruby, I would love to kiss you right now, but I'm pretty sure that'd motivate Yang even more."

"Ya, well good luck!" Ruby gave him a quick hug, and then back out of the ring.

Ike and Yang stood a few feet apart, both of them giving death stares. "Remember Ike, she's all close combat. Stay back, dodge her shots, and fire arrows."

Ren walked in between the two and said. "You guys ready?" They both nodded. "Alright then." He raised his hand and silently said. "Please don't kill each other." He then dropped his hand and yelled, "Begin."

Normally Yang would've circled her opponent, waiting for them to make the first move, but she was too mad to care. She instantly charged at Ike, with a fist raised ready to end this fight soon. Ike saw this coming though, and side stepped out of the way. As Yang's fist flew past his face, he grabbed her wrist and threw her forward. This knocked her off balance, which Ike saw as an opening. He went for a kick to her back, but Yellow turned and caught is foot in the air. She gave him an evil smile and then threw his foot forward, turning Ike into a tornado.

While he spun Yang got into her boxer stance and waited for the right time to strike. As soon as Ike stopped he received a hard hit to the stomach, that was amplified back a shotgun shell. This caused Ike to go tumbling to the edge of the ring. Ike was slow to get up, but eventually did. A look of determination in his eyes. "Come on lover boy. You gotta put up more of a fight than that." The brawler taunted.

"You haven't seen anything yet." Lover boy replied with a smile. He then notched an arrow to his bow and began firing at Yang. Yang replied to this by firing rounds into each arrow, destroying them. The archer knew his tactic was futile, but had a plan. He notched a fire arrow and launched it at his opponent. She shot this one down again, triggering a massive fireball in the middle of the arena. Ike then charged at the fireball and jumped through, changing Aeolus into Ichor and Nero inside.

Yang couldn't even see the teen, before he was right in front of her. He launched a barrage of slashes with his blade, none aimed to kill, just to maim. Each attack was blocked, but it was obvious Ike had the upper hand. Eventually Ike broke through Yang's defenses. He spun and connected Ichor one of her gauntlets, however the blue haired teen over powered her, and pushed her to balancing on one foot. He then landed a kick to her left side, picking her up off the ground and slamming her back down.

Blue jumped into the air and spun as he went for a heel drop, but Yang blocked and pushed him away. Yang then rushed at him and tried for a right hook, but Ike stopped it with Ichor and then delivered a spinning kick. Ike didn't let up though as he changed forward slashing at Yang. The blonde's body dodged, but one part of her didn't. Her hair. Ike cut cleanly through a few locks, which didn't change the girl's appearance at all. It did change her mind set through. Everything froze, except for the few stands as they fell to the ground. "Oh, no." Ike said to nobody in particular.

"Now you're gonna pay!" Yang roared as flames clung to her body, and in her eyes. Ike made as much distance as he could, and changed back to Aeolus. He then shot a flurry of arrows at Yang, who dodged all of them as she charged at him. When the brawler reached the archer, she slammed her fist into his stomach. Ike doubled over in pain, but she wasn't done yet. She then picked up the tang wielder and threw him to the other side of the arena.

Ike got back up and launched an arrow at Yang, but she side stepped it and grabbed it out of the air. She then broke the wooden shaft with one hand, and charged at Ike. The blond unleashed a barrage of punches that nobody alive could've blocked. Ike was finally given an opening, and gave her a boot to the face, throwing her to the ground. Before she hit though she caught herself on her right hand and delivered a hard kick to Ike's chest, probably breaking a rib or two. Ike steadied himself and looked up just in time to see Yang throw a right hook into his jaw, which flipped him.

He landed on his back, with Yang directly over him. Blue notched a fire arrow and shot it. Yang was too close to do anything, as the arrow hit her chest erupting into a fireball. Ike managed to roll out of the way, but Yang was flung into the ceiling and landed back on the ground. Hard. She looked up at Ike she saw nothing but pure determination. It was obvious that her mind games had done nothing.

She picked herself back up from the floor with a smile on her face. It wasn't an evil one though. It was one that showed that she was proud of Ike. Blue looked over towards the board that displayed the aura levels for the combatants. Both his and the blonde's aura levels were extremely close to red. One more decent hit from either would end this fight. Yang knew this as well, so she charged forward hoping to land the final blow.

The archer locked an ice arrow into place, and shot at the ground, forming a wall of ice directly in front of the blonde. The heat radiating from Yang melted the ice just a bit, then she launched herself at it. She demolished the wall of ice, and ended up tackling Ike in the process, but both teen's auras stayed in the yellow. Blue kicked Yellow off of him and switched back to his blades.

He launched a flurry of slashes at his foe, until she was so confused she didn't even see him jump into the air. There was a brief second of total confusion for the brawler, then fear. Ike placed his feet against the ceiling, and launched himself back at Yang. She looked up in time to see the blunt end of Ichor slam into her head. The two rolled onto the ground and right as the brawler was about to get up, Ike placed the tip of his blade against her throat.

The boy smiled and simply said, "Win."

Ren then came back into the ring saying. "Yang's aura has fallen into the red, and in a real life fight she would now be dead. Ike is the winner."

Ike helped Yang up and said to her. "That was the toughest fight I've ever had."

"I could say the same about you hot stuff." She replied with a smile.

Then Ruby ran up to Ike and gave him a huge hug. "See I told you you could do it!"

Ike simply laughed and hugged her back. "Ya, you did. Thanks for the support."

Ruby then looked over to Yang with her puppy dog eyes and said. "So does this mean we get to go on our date?" She added a sweet tone to seal the deal.

Yang tried to stare her down, but she was no match for the scythe wielder. "Ugh, ya fine. Just don't be making out in front of me." The blonde then walked over to the rest of her team.

"Bring you down a peg did he?" Blake asked her partner.

"Shut up."

Ike then returned his focus on Red, who said. "I think you still owe me something."

"I almost forgot." He said with a smile, right before he kissed her.

"WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!" Yang yelled out. Ruby turned towards her sister and said.

"You said no making out. You didn't say anything about kissing." The younger girl then stuck out her tongue towards her sister, who stuck out her tongue back.

"As much as I would love to stay here and tease your sister, I have some plans to go make." Blue commented.

"Ya, I figured as much." Ruby gave him another quick kiss before they said their goodbyes.

Yang had to have the final word though and yelled out. "If you ever give me another haircut, I'll kill you, Ike!" Her only answer was a small chuckle from Ike, which infuriated her and made her smile. He then walked out the door, letting what aura he had left heal his wounds.

Ike began planning for the date the moment he got back to his room. He did have an issue though. He knew Ruby didn't want to do anything too special, which meant that going to a very fancy restaurant was out of the running. Another issue was Ike didn't have much money. With no job and no family, all he had was what was left from his days at the organization. Finally, he needed to make sure he didn't under-do it. Going to a fast food restaurant wouldn't get him a second date. Plenty of ideas raced through his mind as the days came and went. There was the thought of going out to the beach, but then again there wasn't a beach close by. All access to the water was either cliffs or ports. Then again he could take her to one of the cliffs for a picnic, but that seemed a bit cheesy and impersonal. Then one day in precision shooting class Ike had an idea. "Got it!" He stood up and yelled. Unknowing that he just volunteered for something.

"Excellent." Professor Burns stated."Now Mr. Mers if you'll stand in front of the target I can explain."

Ike groaned and trudged up to the front of the classroom. He stood directly in front of the target, which seemed to annoy the teacher a bit. "Mr. Mers how am I supposed to shoot around you if you stand inches from the target. Move about halfway between me and my mark." Ike took a few steps forward, even though he didn't want to. Professor Burns aimed down the sights of his rifle and said, "Remember class, to bend the projectile you must flow your aura into it. Then you will be able to control its direction."

Burns let a bit of his aura flow into the gun, and fired. The bullet somehow curved around Ike, but he could still feel the wind coming off of it. He turned around to see the target with a single hole in it. "Now keep in mind you can only slightly change its direction. This mean no U-turning bullets." The bell then rang and all the students began piling out the door, but before Blue could get out the marksmen teacher called out. "Mr. Mers!" Ike turned around facing the man. "Next time don't day dream in my class, and I won't make my shot so close." He said with a smile. The tang wielder gave a forced laugh then bolted out the door before he could become target practice again.

Ike dropped his school supplies off in his room, and rushed to go catch the ship before it took off. He reached it just as it was about to take off, the ship pulling away from the docks, as the door slowly closed. The archer sprinted as fast as he could towards the ship, and leap off the edge of Beacon. He flattened himself out in midair, and rolled into the ship just as the door closed. Everyone looked at Ike like he was crazy. Ike simply put on a sheepish smile, and waved at the people. Only a few waved back.

As he walked down the street he called up a place he was certain Ruby would love. The café that made the best cookies. Well according to Ruby they did. He made sure that they would be open late enough for the two of them to get there. He then walked past a local movie theater, which was playing movies around the same time the café closed. "That's helpful." He thought to himself. Eventually he arrived at the store he was searching for. Scattered Petals. It was a flower shop that carried ever flower imaginable. He walked in, and instantly walked over to the counter. A woman stood behind it. She looked to be in her late 20s and had long brown hair, with blue eyes.

"Hi, how can I help you?" She asked.

"I'm actually looking for roses." He replied.

"Oooo, she must be special." The woman said, which caused Ike to blush a bit. She answered with a giggle, and said, "What color do you need?"

"I need a red and a blue one." Ike responded.

The woman disappeared behind the counter, and popped back up with the two flowers in hand. "That'll be 10 lien, please." Ike handed over the lien and quickly thanked her, before leaving. As he walked back down the street, Ike had another weird feeling. Almost like the day he fought Laurel, only a bit different. Like there was more than one set of eyes on him. Ike stopped in the street, and looked around him only to see cameras. Blue thought he was just being paranoid, and continued walking down the street. If only he knew that his sixth sense was right. While there wasn't anyone around looking at him, robotic eyes see just as well as human ones.

Finally it was the big day. Ike had gone through another one of Ozpin's lesson, only this one wasn't as odd. It was mainly just combat advice. Ike walked out of his room, armed with his roses. He thought about bringing some kind of weapon, but decided that would be weird. He knocked on team RWBY's door, which was instantly answered by Weiss. "Hey, Wei…" Casanova himself said, before being cut off.

"Ruby will be out in a minute. She's almost ready." Weiss quickly said before slamming the door in his face.

"Okay…" Ike said to the door. It was soon opened up again, but by a far more friendly face this time. It was Ruby, and even though she was dressed in her usual combat skirt, she looked as lovely as ever.

"Ready to go?" She asked.

"Yep." Ike said with his hands behind his back.

"Wait, what're you hiding?"

"These." Ike then pulled out the different colored roses.

"Awwwww." The remaining members of team RWBY said from the door, causing both teens to blush.

"Thanks, Ike." Ruby said taking the blue one and placing it in her hair. "Now, your rose will goooooo…." Ruby said looking for a spot. "Here." She then placed the rose in the smaller strap going across his chest."Now I think we can leave." Red said as she linked her arm in Ike's.

"Now that they're gone, time to begin operation falcon!" Yang announced to the rest of her team.

"Which is?" Blake asked dryly.

"Pretty much we follow those two to make sure Ike doesn't so much as harm a hair on Ruby's head."

"That seems a bit…" White said looking for the right word.

"Psychotic?" Black said.

"Ya, psychotic."

"Oh, come on." Yellow wined.

"Sorry, I'm not helping you and neither is Weiss." Blake said as she began to read again.

"Please," Yang continued attempting to copy Ruby's puppy dog eyes.

"Nope."

"Fine, then I'll just do it by myself." Yang pouted.

"Have fun." The raven haired girl said, without looking up from her book. Yang slammed the door shut and began to follow after the couple.

The ship finally landed, and Ike escorted Ruby to the first stop of the night. "So where are we headed." Ruby asked as she skipped alongside her date.

"It's a surprise." Ike replied with a smile.

"Aww, come on."

"Don't worry we're almost there." The pair then ran into another set of Beacon students. Michael and Lindsey.

"So Michael, are we going to Applebee's again?" The huntress-in-training asked.

"Nope, not this time. Now I have something better planned." Michael said confidently.

"Ohh, someone's a big spender." Lindsey said sarcastically.

"You know you're a real pain sometimes."

"Well it's nice to see those two together." Ike commented.

"Ya, they work well together. Michael's loud and Lindsey can take a punch."

"Literally or metaphorically?"

"Both." Then the pair finally reached they're destination. Sunrise Café the sign read. "Holy Monty I love this place!" Ruby squealed.

"I figured. You did say they have the best cookies."

"That they do. Now come on!" Red then drug Blue into the store.

The two sat down, and ordered. Ike chose to have a cup of coffee and a simple sandwich, while Ruby ordered a platter of cookies and milk.

"You know you are a little kid in a lot of ways." Ike said.

"I'm not a little kid. I drink milk!"

"Yes, I can tell."

Meanwhile on a nearby rooftop Yang was peering through the window with binoculars. "Just sitting there. Ike hasn't done anything." Yang thought to himself. "Wait! What was that?!" She screamed mentally as Ike brushed a piece of hair from Ruby's face. "Ugh maybe this was a waste of time. It's not like he'll do anything."

Eventually, the store had to close and the pair left, saying their thanks. "I had a really good time." Ruby said smiling.

"You say that like we're done."

"We aren't?"

"Nope one more stop." The man wearing the red rose said. The couple began walking towards the final stop, blissfully unaware of both of their followers. One with yellow hair, the other with black. As the couple on the ground casually walked towards Ike's final surprise. Above on the rooftops, the stalkers we're having difficulty keeping up with the two.

"Why are the building so far away?" Yang thought to herself. Eventually the duo stopped in front of the movie theater.

"A movie? Seems a bit regular." Red said.

"Ya, I thought it'd be a nice touch. We don't have regular lives, so I thought this would be nice."

"Good point, so which movie are we watching?" The girl with the blue rose asked.

"Your choice." Her date responded.

"Hmm… what about…" Ruby said as she looked at the options she had. "This one." She pointed towards a movie called Tornadoe.

"Alright." Ike said as he paid for the tickets. Luckily they had just ate, so he didn't have to pay for the ridiculously overpriced food. Apparently Ruby had read the book of the movie, so she already knew what happened at the end. Unfortunately Ike got lost somewhere in the movie and constantly asked questions, until Ruby told him that it'll all be explained at the end and to just watch the movie. Eventually he did and Red was thankful for it. As the credit rolled, Red and Blue left the building.

"So how'd you like it?" Ruby asked.

"Not terrible, but I didn't know that you liked cheesy movies." Ike said.

"Ya, it surprises a lot of…" Ruby was then silenced by a gunshot, and she knew it was meant for her. She closed her eyes, only she didn't feel anything. No pain, no numbness, just regular. When she opened her eyes she understood why. There was Ike standing in front of her. A single hole in his chest.

**-Yang's Point of View-**

"Well there's no way I can see into that building." The brawler thought. So she waited outside until the movie was over. After a couple of hour the happy couple walked back outside the theater. That's when Yang saw something that horrified her. A shot rang out in the silence of the night, and everything seemed to slow for Yang. She could see the bullet fly through the air, aimed right at Ruby. Ike must've been seeing the same thing, because right before the bullet hit the girl, Ike pivoted on his right foot. He put his body directly in front of Ruby. Stopping the bullet with his chest.

**-Back to Ruby/Ike-**

Ike lowered his head in pain, right before he collapsed onto his knees. Then onto the ground. "Oh Monty no. No, no, no, no, no. Ike you aren't dying like this." Ruby said panicked as tears flowed from her eyes. She dropped to her knees, and cradled the teen with the red rose in her arms. "Please don't leave me." She begged.

"Hey," The boy responded weekly. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He said between coughs of blood. It was obvious he wouldn't make it if help didn't arrive soon. Ike then passed out due to the pain. Then a figure dropped in front of the two.

"Well, I missed the original shot. Probably should've used my semblance, but he still got hit. I suppose that's all that matters." Ruby looked up to see a boy around Ike's age stand there, with two guns and black hair. **(So here's King of the Lion's OC) **The teen had black messy hair, brown eyes, and silver earrings the right one shaped like a king's crown, the left a knight chess piece. He had a tan skin complexion, which suited him well. As for his clothes he wore a black, no sleeved, open hoodie, with a white shirt under that. On top of the clothes he had a holster, which was most likely for the guns in his hands. He also wore long, black pants and white shoes with white bottoms. His pistols looked like they were M9 Berettas, only they had a blade sticking straight out from the barrel. The one in his left hand was white, while the one in his right was black. "Well King took him out." The shooter held up the right handed pistol. "I guess Horse can take you out."

"Over my dead body!" Suddenly a flash of yellow landed on the shooter, and skidded to a stop in front of the couple. It was Yang, with flames lapping all over her body. More brilliant than ever. "Ruby, get Ike back to Beacon now!" She commanded. Ruby picked Ike up, and sprinted towards the school.

"Now, you're gonna pay for what you've done, but first who. are you!" Yang roared, with venom behind every word.

"Well, I might as well tell you, seeing as this will be your last fight. My name is Axel Young, and I was sent to kill that guy I just shot."

"But, why?!"

"Why? Do you not know yet? That kid has a huge bounty on his head, and I'm here to claim it."

"Well then, if you're going to do that. You'll have to kill me first!" The fiery blonde yelled.

"Sounds like a plan." Axel said as he raised his pistols. Young took a shot at Yang, who attempted dodge, but was still hit in the arm. Luckily Yang had her aura shields up, so the bullet did minimal damage. "Silly girl, did you not here me say anything about my semblance? I never miss!" The mercenary said almost mocking Yellow.

"I need a plan fast." Yang thought to herself. That's when an idea popped into her head. She charged at her foe, with her fire more intense than ever. Axel attempted to fire another shot, but the projectile simply melted before it hit her. "Have fun getting past that one!" Yang roared as she delivered a right hook to Axel's temple. He skidded on his feet, until he stopped.

The black haired boy then charged at Yang. Young led off with a swing of Horse, which was blocked by Yang's gauntlet. She then fired off a shot hoping to hit his jaw, but he brought his head back barely dodging the shot. He then slammed his head into Yang's causing her to stumble backwards a bit. He took advantage of this, and swung the blade of King at her. She jumped to the right, but still ended with a cut to her arm.

The blonde flared her aura, allowing it to heal the wound as she rushed back towards the black haired boy. Yellow went to throw her boot into the black haired boy but her foot was caught in the air. He then twisted her leg, and caused her to face plant in the ground. Axel then kicked Yang in the stomach, sending her sliding down the road. Yang pushed her hands off the ground, landing on her feet. The girl then skidded to a stop.

Yang rushed forward again, and led with a right jab, which Axel backed away from. Her left jab was then deflected by King. She attempted two spinning kicks, but Axel ducked under it. Young then slashed at Xiao Long, but she blocked it with her gauntlet, but then Axel kicked her in the stomach. Yang was thrown down the street, but got back up. The blonde fired shots at Young, but he dodged them as her sprinted towards her. He dove over the last shell, but was stopped in his tracks by Yang landing a kick to his side.

Axel caught himself before hitting the ground, and did a backwards handspring to stop himself. Yellow's fire was still blazing, so the shooter had to get up close and personal, again. Yang had the same idea, and the two teens charged at each other. Yang threw a flurry of fists at Axel, and the boy blocked all of them. Yang fired a shotgun shell into Axel, which he blocked by crossing his pistols in front of him. He still ended up skidding backwards quite a back.

Xiao Long sprinted forwards, and landed a kick into his stomach, causing him to double over. The fiery blonde picked up the teen, and threw him straight into the air. She jumped up right behind him, and grabbed him in the air. Yellow then threw her foe back at the ground. The black haired boy slammed into the ground, causing a crater, with him lying in it. Yang fired behind her, propelling her towards her enemy.

The shooter rolled backwards, out of the crater, and watched as the blonde slammed her fist into the ground. This sent a shockwave through the road, and made the pavement roll like a wave. This sent Axel flying into the side of a building. As he got up, the teen saw Yang rushing towards him, but her flames were flickering. He quickly got up and took a shot directly at Yang's left foot and hit his target. Yellow screamed out in pain and rolled to a stop on her back. Axel walked up to her and pointed King at her.

"This is the part where you die." Young said, but he did forget about something though. Yang had a shotgun on her wrist. She raised her right hand and fired a shot. This lifted Axel off the ground, giving Yang time to get back up. The mercenary hit the ground with a thud, and struggled to get back up. As he got back on his feet he saw Yang with both gauntlets pointed towards him. Yang had a problem though. Due to the fact that she had a hole in her foot she became extremely immobile.

Both teens began to fire shots at each other. Neither person was winning the upper hand, as the bullets just collided in midair. Yang quickly reloaded her weapons, and had another idea. She unleashed a barrage of bullets at Axel. As he was busy dodging the she stood on her hands, and pushed off into the air. She flew a couple of feet up, but that was all she needed. The blond then fired behind herself, causing her to sail towards Axel. As he finally stopped moving, he looked up to see Yang flying at him. She tackled him to the ground, where they stopped immediately. Yang ended up pinning her opponent to the ground.

"Good night." She said sweetly, right before knocking him out with her elbow. As she got back up to her feet, she could here sirens off in the distance. Yang sighed and said to herself, "I'll be here for a while."

Eventually the police let Yang return to Beacon, and she sprinted as fast as she could, until she threw open the door to the infirmary. "WhichroomisIkein?!" She quickly asked.

"206," replied a confused receptionist, who then had all the papers on her desk thrown off by the wind of a sprinting teen.

"Thanks!" Yang called out as she ran down the hall. Eventually she reached the correct room, and threw open the door. What she saw broke her heart. To say the mood was grim would've been a drastic understatement. In the room were teams RWBY and JNPR, all of them pilled around Ike. Nora had her head buried in Ren's chest, who was attempting to comfort her. Jaune was sitting in a chair with his head in his hands, while Pyrrha stood next to him rubbing small circles in his back. Both Weiss and Blake were next to Ruby trying to comfort her. Even Weiss and Blake with their strong exteriors had tears in their eyes. The worst part was her seeing Ruby. She was kneeling to the bed, and had her head on Ike's chest. Tears flowing freely down her eyes. Her friends were attempting to comfort her, but their attempts were in vain.

Yang walked over to her sister, and sat down next to her. The older sister instantly wrapped Red in a hug. "It's gonna be alright Ruby. Ike's strong. He'll pull through." She looked up at Ike, who was still unconscious. There were bandages all over his body, with a giant red spot in it. Obviously blood. He was hooked up to all kinds of monitors, and had an IV in his arm. Yang was getting worried that he might go into a coma, and truth be told Yellow knew there was a good chance Ike wouldn't make it, but she didn't want to think about that.

"It's my fault. He's like this, because he was protecting me." The younger girl sobbed.

"No it isn't." Yellow replied caringly. "He wanted to protect you, and because some idiot tries to hurt him, doesn't make it your fault." The blonde began to stroke her sister's hair as she rocked her back and forth. Yang hoped this would end Ruby's crying, but it didn't seem to help at all. This pattern continued well into the night. At some point, Yang's own cheeks were stained by tears, but she had no clue the younger girl eventually fell asleep out of pure exhaustion. Her older sister picked her up and placed her in the bed next to Ike. She then kissed her forehead and whispered, "Goodnight Ruby. I love you." Yang then left the room along with everyone else. Even though nobody said it they all knew what could happen, and none of them were prepared for it. Inside the room, Ruby rolled onto her side and wrapped her arms around Ike.

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**Bit of a horrid place for me to end isn't it? That's all the more I have for now though so sorry bout that. Anyways, I understand the last bit might seem a bit rushed, and that's because I really wanted to push that bit out and I'm not good at writing scenes like that. I can't really think of anything else to say, so I'll just relax for the rest of today and I'll see ya when I see ya. Remember to pm me and leave a review, because I always love constructive criticism and positive feedback. Bye everyone!**


	11. Chapter 11: Talking to Yourself

**Alright guys I'm back pretty quickly. Sorry if this chapter seems rushed, and that's because it kinda is. More important stuff at the bottom, and this is a pretty unimportant chapter plot wise. Anyways I hope you guys enjoy.**

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Breathing. That was all the sound in the silent room. No more crying. There were no more tears left to be shed. Yes, Ike was still in the infirmary. It had been a couple of weeks since the incident, and Ike was now officially in a coma. This didn't brighten anyone spirits. This meant there was no telling when he'd wake up. It could be the next day or a year. Anyone had about as good of a guess as the next person.

Ruby looked a lot like Garnet had. Never leaving Ike's side, and only doing so when she had classes or had to eat. Yang attempted to make her happy by saying things like, "He wouldn't want you to feel sorry for him," or, "He'll be alright. The doctors know what they're doing." But these attempts all ended with just a "ya" or "I guess so". The class had taken a trip to Forever Fall and Jaune was finally getting better, but it seemed like Ruby was only getting worse. Meanwhile Ike was having an entirely different adventure.

**-Ike's Head-**

Ike stood in a forest, surrounded by nothing but fire. He spun and decapitated his last opponent. The head of a pack of Beowolves. Ike doubled over panting in exhaustion. "There they're dead. Now can you let me out?"

"But were having so much fun. Don't you like cutting up these creatures?" A voice said from nowhere. The voice didn't surprise Ike at all. He had been doing this for a week after all.

"I just want to go back to the real world. I sick of something messing with my head!" Ike roared.

"Ahh, but Ike I'm not something. I'm you." A black figure then began to arise from the ground. Ike looked on in horror as the figure finally took its full shape. It was a silhouetted version of himself. "Don't you see Ike? We're the same person. I suppose you would call me your rage. Or maybe guilt? Whatever you want to call me, I'm the dark areas of your mind. The places you don't want to go. Even now as we speak you only aid me with your fear."

Ike realized that there wasn't much he could do at this point, so he just played along with the game. "Fine, what's next then?"

"You tell me. This is your head. I'm just the thing fabricating the obstacles you set for yourself." The figure said calmly.

"That's a lie! Why would I keep myself here? Why would I constantly beat myself up?!" Ike roared. The black figure then disappeared, and the voice from nowhere returned.

"I told you Ike, I'm the bad parts of you. Your guilt. You want to punish yourself for your misdeeds, and I' simply helping. Now for the next test."

"What test? I didn't tell you a test!"

"Ahh, but you did. You just don't know it." The voice started to trail off to the end. The ground began to shake as it was changed. Eventually a bright light appeared all around Ike, but this had become normal for him. He simply closed his eyes and waited for it to stop.

In front of him stood a giant pyramid, with only one way in. In the air were floating purple letters, that read 'Now that your body is worn out, let's test your mind. This, my friend, is a puzzle. Figure it out."

"A puzzle what kind of puzzle?" Ike thought to himself.

"Only one way to find out." Dark Ike said.

"Would you stop reading my thoughts!?" Ike yelled, but no response came. Blue walked into the pyramid, to see a rather simple puzzle. In front of him was a door, with words that read 'Complete the puzzle and move on.' On the right side of the wall was a giant sliding puzzle. It was fairly simple, there's only one block open, and you have to slide the pieces around and make the correct picture.

Luckily Ike's subconscious even gave him the picture. It was just a sunset. He set to work, and after about five minutes of sliding the pieces around, he slide the final piece into the correct spot. "Done." He announced. He wasn't though, because as he slide the last piece in the board was rescrambled and completely different from before. Words the appeared in the air in front of him. 'Look around before you act.'

"Look around? What does that mean?" Ike began to scan the room for something off. He checked the door and found nothing. He checked all the walls, and yet again found nothing. It wasn't until he was pacing around, when he stepped on a small button on the floor, on the opposite side of the room from the puzzle. The object sank in, and as it did the puzzle flipped over to reveal a new one, along with a new picture. Ike set back to work, and yet again eventually slide the last piece in place. However, the puzzle rescrabbled just like the first on. "I'll be here for a while."

Ike messed with both the puzzle and the room for hours. He searched for more buttons thinking there was another puzzle, but there wasn't. He attempted doing half of one and then half of the other, but that didn't work either. Ike sat on the ground, and simply stared at the puzzles for a while when it hit him. Finish at the same time! Ike yet again realigned the sliders, until they were one away from both being done. "Now how to finish at the same time?"

He pulled out Aeolus, and fired an arrow at the tile, but it did nothing. He tried shooting the button, but yet again nothing. "It only works when a living thing touches one of them, but I can't be in two places at once." Ike sat down and began thinking again. It took a while, but eventually the simplest place came into his head. "It's my head, I can make whatever I want." He set upon reforming himself, and eventually a blue light shone from the floor. As it died down, another Ike stood in the middle.

"How can I help?" Ike 2 asked.

"Just press the button when I tell you too." Ike 1 responded. "Okay?"

"Pushing it!" Ike 2 announced, before hitting the button and flipping the puzzles.

"Why'd you do that?!"

"You said okay."

"I meant okay as in get ready, not okay go." As soon as Ike 1 said go Ike 2 hit the button again. "STOP FLIPPING IT!"

"You said go." Ike 2 said defending himself.

"Holy Monty you're a moron."

"You know you're starting to sound like Michael." Monty 2 commented.

"DON'T EVEN THINK THAT! I'M NOWHERE AS ANGRY AS HIM!"

"Whatever you say." Ike 2 mumbled under his breath. These teamwork arguments lasted for a while, and the blame was on both sides. Ike 2 would hit the button too soon, or too late. While Ike 1 would either miss the tiles all together, or he would only hit one, and have to reconstruct that puzzle. This would then lead to an argument that sounded a lot like something that would come from the members of team LADS. The two would then ended up upset at each other, but then remember they're working for the same goal. Eventually they came up with the acronym WAFFLEO, which stood for 'We're All Friends, Friends Love Each Other.' Ike 2 thought it would just be WAFFLE, but forgot each other is two words. One of the two would simply say WAFFLEO when the argument got too heated, and they would begin working again.

"Alright." Ike 1 said fuming with rage. "On the count of three hit the button, then I'll wait one second for your reaction time, then clap my hands."

"Is it 1, 2, 3, go, or go on 3?"

"It's go on 3! Like it has been for the past hour!"

"Alright just making sure."

"Fine. Ready?" Ike 1 asked, which Ike 2 responded to with a nod. "Good, 1… 2…. 3!" Ike 2 stepped on the button, and the wall flipped. As it did Ike 1 clapped his hands on both sides, and hit the correct tiles. The two tiles slid in place simultaneously, and a beam of light shot straight at the door, which then opened. "Well that only took forever."

"Sure did. Next time do better." Ike 1's jaw dropped upon hearing that. "Now I'm leaving before you can yell, Bye!" Ike 2 then disappeared into the beam light, leaving only bits of dust. The Ike left standing gave an exhausted sigh and walked through the door.

After walking up a few stairs Ike finally reached a much larger room. Inside there was a table with a book on it titled, 'Chess for Idiots.' Then there was a giant chess board that took up the entire room. "Finally, I give myself a break." Ike said to himself. While working with the organization Blue found a love for chess, and one that he still carried to that day. Over the years he had become quite good at the game.

The archer walked behind the white pieces, and all the pieces lit up to show the match started. His invisible opponent wasn't doing anything too terribly complicated. It made smart sacrifices, and even a few advanced maneuverers. Ike was forced to play defense the entire game, until eventually he lost. "Shocker, I can beat myself." The teen then sighed and said, "I should've known this wouldn't be easy."

The person beating himself played game after game, and tried every tactic he could think of. He would try to make a strong line with the pawns, instantly rush the bishops and knights in, and he even tried throwing hi queen into the opponent's backfield to cause damage, but it appeared nothing would work. In the end Ike's opponent would always trap his king and demolish it. Eventually Ike had had enough, when he thought of something. "Maybe it's rigged so that black always wins."

Ike changed and became the commander of the black forces. He played another well fought game, but yet again lost. He resorted to the most childish of tactics, and copied all his opponent's moves, but this yet again failed. It was at this point Ike was frustrated beyond belief, when another thing occurred to him. "I know how to play chess. Why would there be a book telling me how to play?"

Ike walked back over to the small table and picked up the poorly titled book. He scanned through the pages, but nothing seemed too odd. There were basic rules, tactics, and how to win, but nothing saying how to beat this mastermind of an opponent. Then as he flipped to the last page something was off. The only thing written in it said, 'Sometimes you must do anything to win.' An evil smile appeared on his face, as he knew exactly what this meant. Cheating.

Ike returned to the white army, and began to move through the enemy ranks. His idea was simple. Any piece can move anywhere, however the game was smarter than that. As his opponent began to understand this new tactic, it mimicked it. Every piece could move anywhere, and yet again Ike lost. "Great I even suck at cheating." Ike mumbled.

As he tried different made up rules, one thought never occurred to Ike. It was only until his 63rd loss that he finally understood what he had to do. Ike started the game up for a final time, and instantly walked out onto the board. Eventually he hit the wall of pawns, but he slashed right through them with this blades. He then marched right up to the enemy king and looked up at him. The king piece simply stood and did nothing. The cheater jumped into the air and decapitated the most important piece. As its head shattered on the ground the door to the third and final room opened. Ike walked through, but not before saying one very satisfying word. "Checkmate."

Ike walked into the last room, and the door slammed shut behind him. The final room contained nothing but two levers. One on his right, and one on his left. "What am I supposed to do here?" He asked out loud. Then Dark Ike reappeared in front of him.

"This will be the easiest test yet. You must choose better two people you care about so much. Your bother." James then appeared directly to the right of Dark Ike. "Or your girlfriend." Ruby then appeared on his left. "Pull the lever to your left, and you send James falling to his death. Pull the right one, and Ruby will fall. Now choose." Ike didn't want to choose though. Even though he knew none of this was real, he couldn't stand the thought of having to kill one of the two.

"There has to be a trick to it. Maybe if I pull both levers nobody dies. Then again, what if that kills both of them."

"How about this for motivation. Pull a lever within the next minute or they both fall."

This made Ike think even more frantically. "I doubt there's a way to save both of them. This is basically evil me, and there's no way this ends that happily. So I have to make the right choice. Maybe this is a blood is thicker than water thing? Then again what if this is meant to meant to be about not relying on your family forever? Ugh, I could always guess and take a fifty/fifty shot. Ya that was a dumb thought. Alright what else could it be?" But that was all the more time Ike had to think.

"Times up." Dark Ike practically sang. "Who's it gonna be? You're loving brother, or sweet and caring Ruby?"

"Well might as well try it." Ike thought as he pulled the left lever. The floor under James disappeared, and so did he. All Ike could hear is the horrid scream of his brother falling, until it abruptly stopped.

"Oooo that sounded painfu. Wow, your pretty cold. Now, onto the next test." Dark Ike said as the ground began to shake.

Then a much more divine voice spoke from behind Ike. "There won't be a next test." The exhausted teen turned around to see the exact opposite of his tormentor. It was a pure, shining, white Ike.

"Who are you?" Both dark and regular Ike asked.

"I would be the good side of you. You have met your guilt and pain, but I am your forgiveness, and your joy. I am everything he is not!" Light Ike then pointed directly at Dark Ike.

"You obviously don't understand. I'm in charge not you!" Dark Ike then charged his opposite, with a dark Nero and Ichor in hand. He swung the evil weaponry at the good side, but Light Ike simply caught it. He then raised his hand and placed it upon the dark side's head. The evil version screamed out him pain as he sank to his knees. Eventually Dark fell to the ground and sank into it.

"Now that he is gone we can send you home." Light then turned to look at regular. "Are you ready?" Regular simply nodded, before being consumed in a pillar of light. "It's nice to see you have let go of the past. Your future will be a difficult one, but not impossible. I wish you the best of luck, and know that I'm always inside your head." And with that the bright light turned to darkness.

Ike slowly opened his eyes, and was overcome by joy. He was in the infirmary, but the infirmary in the real world. He looked over at the red and black girl sleeping in his arms. He kissed her forehead and said, "Time to get up."

Ruby slowly stirred awake, but then realized who had woken her up. Ike was finally back. She hugged him tighter than ever and tear began to fill her eyes. "I was so worried about you! Please never leave me like that again!"

Ike hugged his girlfriend back. "I promise I won't."

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**So that's that. This chapter kinda sparked a path for another story idea, but a new story won't be started until this one is finished. Now for the important part. I will be taking a short break to relax and recharge my brain. I won't be long, but the next chapter will take 3 or 4 days longer than the usual waiting time. So sorry about that, but I know I'll be busy pretty soon and I don't want to make a god awful chapter. Anyways, I hope you guys didn't hate this chapter too much, and personally I believe this is the worst one I've wrote so far. Make sure you leave a review and pm me if you want to. See ya next time!**


	12. Chapter 12: Reunion

**Hello everyone! So volume two is out now yay! It's pretty awesome and that food fight was really cool. Also, if you want to know what happened between Ike and Ruby between these chapters, I pictured it a lot like the final episode of Sword Art Online. When Kirito and Asuna finally meet in the hospital. Just picture that and you're fine. Also, has anyone watched that show? That's what I did on my short break and it was pretty good. So, a lot of this will be inspired from that show now. I've watched a lot of anime recently, and Angel Beats is really good as well, even though it's sad. Well I won't delay you any longer, so enjoy!**

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Yang along with team members WB and team JNRP sprinted down the hallway. Yang threw open the door and push the privacy curtain over to the side. As the curtain moved she could see the two teens sitting on the bed holding each other. Tears filled everyone's eyes, however Ruby and Ike had already shed plenty. Out of all of the new visitors, it was Yang who lost it first. She began to sob uncontrollably as she covered her mouth with her hand. She bowed her head down as the dam in her eyes finally broke. "Ike?"

"Yes Yang?" He responded through his own tears of joy.

"Thank Monty your back." She then raced over to the boy and wrapped him in a hug. The rest of the group wasn't far behind her though. While the group shared a hug and constantly asked if he was alright one question important question was finally brought up by Yang. "Ike?" She said with her arms still around the boy. "Why was that guy after you?"

Ike's expression instantly changed from joy to horror. He could try to lie his way out of this, but two things prevented that. First of all, something in Yang's eye told him that she knew more than she was letting on. Secondly, this involved his friends now, and he couldn't deny them the knowledge that could potentially save them. Ruby already knew about his past, Yang was probably forming and idea, and Ren knew that it wasn't one of joy.

Ike let out a sigh and said, "Take a seat guys. This might take a little while." Ike then told his friends the same sad story he had told Ruby that fateful night.While Ike was able to make it farther before his emotions overwhelmed him, it still happened. Eventually he pushed through to the end of the story. "And that's why I got shot. That's why I'm being hunted." Ike then lowered his head, so that his hair covered his eyes. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he gritted his teath. Blue then slammed his hand onto the table next to his bed, cracking the wood. "I just want my past to leave me. Is that too much to ask!? I just want to end all this and move on!" The boy in the bed's sobs continued as Red tried to comfort him.

"Let's do it then." Ike looked up to see Jaune standing tall and ready for some kind of action. The boy had finally found his confidence, and that was something that made his change drastically.

"What do you mean?" Ike asked.

"You said that a man named Victor is after you, so why don't we just go and find him?"

"It's not that simple. Nobody but higher ups know where to find him, and they're just as difficult to find."

"Then we start at the bottom." Ren said stoicly as he stood next to Jaune. "All crime in Vale is connected, so if we start with just some thugs then we can trace our way up to someone who knows where Victor is."

"And once we find him we break his legs!" Nora commented as he walked over and leaned on her best friend.

"We'll see what happens when we find him." Pyrrha added as she placed her hand on Jaune's shoulder. At the time team JNRP looked like heroes. To anyone looking in from the outside it would've looked like just a team next to each other, but for the remaining five in the room they shined with a light of hope. Something Ike hadn't found for a while. Blue nodded and looked over and team RWBY, who responded with nods of their own.

"Good it's agreed then. As soon as lover boy over here is ready we set out, and finish this!" Yang said triumphantly. Ike looked around him, and saw something he had never had. Friends who are willing to sacrifice themselves for him. Sure he had had his brother with him before and there was Laurel, but this was different. These were people who weren't thrust into his life. People who he wasn't related to. People who a few months ago were complete strangers, but here they were. Ready to fight by his side. No matter what the cost.

While it took some adjusting, Ike began to resume him normal way of life. He caught up on his school work, he resumed his classes with Ozpin, and his romantic life with Ruby was better than ever. It might have been the death scare that brought them even closer together, or it might have been Ike realizing how important she was to him. Either way he didn't care, he was just happy she was still around. Ike woke up from a nap one afternoon to a rather unexpected sound.

"1!" Nora called from her room.

"2!" Yang roared from hers.

"3!" They yelled together.

"This won't be good." Ike said out loud, before Magnhild and a sledgehammer broke through his walls. The two hammers left holes that a person could've walked through, and unsurprisingly enough both teams RWBY and JNPR walked through. "Well, care to explain?" The archer asked in a calm and passive aggressive tone.

"Like our renovations?" Nora asked innocently.

"I'll ask again, care to explain?" He said in the same voice.

"Well with the whole Victor plan in action, we're all one big team now. And a team shares a room doesn't it?" Ruby replied.

"Ya, I guess, but…" The archer was then cut off by Yang.

"Nope no buts, this is how were gonna do things now."

"I'm okay with it, but did you ask Ozpin first?" Mers asked. The eight visitors all deadpanned and dropped their heads.

"I knew we forgot something." Jaune said, crushed.

"I told people it was a bad idea." Weiss said almost exactly like Jaune.

"Well I could just say good luck and leave you guys to deal with the consequences." Blue said with a smirk, however the rest of the students only lowered their heads even farther. "But I do have an idea."

"You do?" Blake asked legitimately surprised.

"Yep, I'll be back in a bit. You guys just focus on merging the rooms." And with that Ike left the room hoping that his less than intelligent plan would work.

He strode down the hallway, before opening the first door to Ozpin's office. Professor Goodwitch wasn't at her desk, which worried Ike a bit more, but her pushed open the next door. Ozpin was sitting at his desk, while Glynda was standing next to him with her scroll out. She was talking about more team names, when Ike caught her attention. "Hello Mr. Mers. How can I help you?"

Mr. Mers stood on the other side of the wooden desk and placed both of his hands on it. He then leaned on his hands and said, "Teams RWBY and JNPR knocked down the walls to my room, so instead of three rooms we have one big one. That's all." He then spun on the ball of his left foot, and got halfway through the door when the information final processed in Professor Goodwitch's head.

"THEY DID WHAT!?" She yelled out as Blue sprinted out the doors and down the hallway with a giddy smile on his face.

The Huntress was about to chase after him, when Ozpin placed a hand on her shoulder. "There's no need for a punishment. They are practically one team."

"We can't just let them destroy school property like that."

"It can be replaced if needed. Besides you can just fix it with a flick of your wrist."

Goodwitch sighed and returned to her position next to the headmaster. "I still think you're too easy on them."

Ozpin smiled and responded by saying a simple, "I know."

The blue haired teen finally slide to a stop in front of his dorm room, and put his hands on his knees. He was breathing pretty hard, and thought to himself, "It's been a while since I've ran like that." He opened up his door, to see his room with no walls. The other two teams had completely formed the rooms together, but hadn't moved anything yet. He had to admit, his bed looked pretty stupid being in the middle of the room. "Objective, complete." Ruby said happily.

"Good job guys, you can hardly tell this used to be three rooms."

"Thanks!" The eight improve construction workers said in unison.

"So, how'd thing go with the Headmaster?" Pyrrha asked.

"I think he's fine with it. Goodwitch is a different story, but she won't do anything if Ozpin says she can't."

"So in other words…" Yang said trailing off.

"Objective, complete." Blue responded mocking his girlfriend, which made Ruby pout. "You know that won't work on me." Ike before he gave her a quick kiss.

"I think it did." Ruby replied happily.

"So what do we do about the furniture?" Blake asked emotionlessly. She had a point. You could tell where there used to be walls due to the beds, closets, and other items.

"It's time for…." Red said trying to build excitement.

"REDECORATING!" Yellow yelled out.

"No no no no no. I'm not going through all of that again." White protested.

"If you don't, then none of your stuff will go up." Blue said with a smirk.

"Redecorating it is!" Weiss said before sprinting to go hang up a painting.

Ike walked over to his bed and flopped down into it as the two teams ran around the room, putting up posters and pushing around heavy objects. Jaune then walked over to his friend and said, "Shouldn't you be moving stuff around too?"

"Jaune my boy, look how much stuff I have." It was true, Aeolus and Red Mortem were already hanging on the back wall. As for his other possessions, they could be moved quite easily.

"Good point, but you still have some stuff to move."

Ike rolled out of bed and said, "Fine, if it'll make you happy." He then placed a foot at the corner of his bed, and pushed off spinning it around. He then kicked off the foot of the bed, and sent it flying between team RWBY's bunk beds. He did the same thing for his wooden closet, fitting it perfectly between Jaune's and Ren's. Blue then carefully picked up his end table, and set it between his and Ruby/Weiss's bunk beds. Ike slapped his hands together and said, "Happy now, Jaune?" He then looked around to see everyone completely stunned by what he just did. "What? Don't tell me you already forgot about my semblance."

"Ya, but that only makes you jump high." Jaune commented, which made Ike laugh.

"See, that's where you're wrong. I can supercharge my feet, which means my kicks can be really strong too. How do you think I sent Laurel into a building?"

"You still almost killed me with your stupid bed!" Weiss yelled angrily. Ike walked over and ruffled her hair, but that only angered Weiss off even more.

"Uhh Ruby, can you please stop Weiss from killing me?"

"Let's go decorate more." Ruby said as she drug Weiss away against her will.

Everyone resumed their decorating, as Ike returned to his bed. He then flopped down, relaxed for a bit. Then a thought occurred to him. "He guys." Everyone snapped their attention to the blue haired teen. "Aren't people from around the world coming here soon because of the tournament?" Indeed Ike was correct. There would soon be people from all over the world arriving in Vale for the yearly tournament.

"Ya your right." Nora said happily.

"Maybe we should go check it out." Yang added. It was at this time that Weiss got an evil look on her face. The same evil look she had when Pyrrha said they could be one a team. In fact the same storm cloud appeared behind her.

"Weiss, are you ok?" The scythe wielder asked waving a hand in front of her partner's face. This snapped White out of her evil trace.

"What? Oh ya, we should go into Vale tomorrow though. That way we can... uh... welcome the students."

"Then it's settled. We leave at the break of dawn!" Ike announced heroically.

"Don't you think that's a bit early?" Ruby asked.

"Fine. Noon it is. BANZAI!" The arched declared.

"BANZAI!" Everyone but Ren responded back.

"How many ice cream shops is Nora going to drag me to this time?" Ren said to himself.

"Tons." His hyper friend responded.

**-The Next Day-**

Team RWJNPRBY plus Ike, as Ruby declared it, even though its complete gibberish, stepped off the ship and onto the streets of Vale. Jaune instantly ran for a trash can, and Pyrrha rubbed circles on his back as he lost the contents of his stomach. Ren was instantly pulled by his collar into a nearby ice cream store by Nora, who demanded the entire stock. Finally, there was team RWBY plus Ike, who was complaining that his initials weren't in the team name. "It's completely unfair that I don't get an I or an M in there."

"It wouldn't make sense with one." Ruby protested.

"It doesn't make sense at all!" Ruby gasped and turned to her boyfriend.

"You take that back right now." She scolded.

"Nope." Blue responded and stuck his tongue out.

"You dare insult the integrity of my naming skills!? You shall pay Ike Mers!" Ruby then charged at Ike, but was stopped by Yang grabbing her cloak.

"Easy there killer. Save it for the tournament." Ruby crossed her arms and began pouting, unti Ikel let out a small laugh and kissed the top of her head.

The five teens continued to walk down the street as a sign was pulled up between two shops, and hung over the street that read, 'Welcome to Vale!"

"The Vytal festival!" Weiss said happily as she brought her hands together in front of her. "Oh this is absolutely wonderful!"

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much Weiss." Ruby commented. "It's kinda weirding me out." Ruby said in a tone that showed how uncomfortable she was.

"You're not the only one." Ike added.

"How could you not smile?" Weiss said as she turned around. "A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world! There'll be dances, parades, a tournament! Oh the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breathtaking." Weiss said as she led the group down the street again.

"You really know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring." Yang replied.

"Quiet you!"

"Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks." Said the blonde.

"They smell like fish." Ruby added holding her nose.

"It was kinda your idea." Ike replied.

"I've heard that students from Vacou will be arriving by ship today, and as a representative of Beacon I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this kingdom." Weiss said self-righteously

"She wants to spy on them, so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament." Blake corrected.

"So that's why you had that evil storm cloud!" Blue yelled out.

"I thought that was obvious." Yellow added.

"You can't prove that." White answered defensively.

Ruby then said, "Woah." Halting the group. They all followed her line of sight to a store that had police tape all over it and a few detectives outside it. The group approached the store, and Ruby asked, "What happened here?"

"Robbery." One of the detectives **(Let's call him Burnie) **answered calmly. "Second dust shop this week." He then turned around and mumbled something about jungles before talking to his partner.

"Ugh, that's terrible." Yang said sympathetically.

"They left all the money again!" The second detective** (And his name shall be Joel.)** called out, catching the student's attention.

"Ya, just doesn't make a lick of sense." Burnie responded. "Who needs that much dust?"

"I dunno, ya know what I mean?" Joel replied.

"You thinkin the uhh, White Fang?"

"Ya, I'm thinkin we don't get paid enough."

"Hmm, the White Fang." Wiess said as if she was getting ready for a rant. "What an awful bunch of degenerates." She was.

"What's your problem?" Blake asked with a hint of anger.

"My problem? I simply don't care for the criminally insane."

"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths. They're a collection of misguided Faunus." Black replied calmly.

"Misguided?" The heiress replied haughtily. "They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet."

"So then they're VERY misguided." The girl with the bow retorted. "Either way, it doesn't explain why they'd rob a dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale."

"Hmm, Blake's got a point." Ruby said obviously taking Blake's side. "Besides the police never caught that Torchwick guy Ike and I ran into a few months ago. Maybe it was him?"

"Ya, he still… AT LARGE!" Ike said is a poor excuse for a scary tone, which everyone just gave blank stares at. "Let's just pretend that didn't happen."

"Alright… That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum. Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal." Weiss replied, which earned dirty looks from everyone.

"That's not necessarily true." Yang said siding with Blake.

Then someone from the docks yelled out, "Hey, stop that Faunus!" The group ran over to the railing to see a blonde monkey Faunus jump off a boat, and hang from a post by his tail. He then began to eat a banana, but his snack was interrupted by the two detectives. They yelled something at the teen, but he simply threw the peel at Burnie, and ran off. He passed the group, and the detectives chased him as they ran down the street.

"Well Weiss, you wanted to see the competition, and there it goes."

"Quick! We have to observe him." The heiress called out, before chasing after the monkey boy. Ruby and Yang began to follow her, but Blake stayed back for a moment.

"You coming?" The archer asked her.

"Oh, ya. Let's go." Blake and Ike then followed the rest of their friends down the street, and soon caught up with them. However, as Weiss rounded a corner, she ran into something causing her to fall on top of it. The Faunus didn't stop, and quickly got away from both the police and the students.

"No! He got away." White pouted.

"Uhhh… Weiss?" Yang said noticing the poor girl Weiss had tackled. Weiss then looked at the girl she was on, who gave a creepy smile back. Weiss was a little more than flustered as she got off the girl.

"Sal-u-tations!" The orange haired girl said waving at them.

"Umm, hello." Ruby responded.

"Are you… ok?" Yang asked.

"Probably not." Ike answered, which his girlfriend gave him a light punch for.

"I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking." The girl said, still lying on the ground.

"Do you, wanna get up?" The brawler asked.

The green eyed girl thought for a second then answered with a simple yes. She then rolled onto her shoulders, and launched off the ground, causing everyone to take a step back. "My name is Penny. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Hi Penny, I'm Ruby."

"Ike."

"I'm Weiss."

"Blake."

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Yang asked, which her partner hit her for. "Oh, I'm Yang."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Penny retorted in the same tone she had had for the entire conversation.

"You already said that." Weiss corrected.

"So I did!" The orange haired girl said at a short pause.

"Well, sorry for running into you." White said as she turned around.

"Take care, friend." Red called back.

The group started walking back down the street as Yang said, "She was… weird."

"Now where did that Faunus riffraff run off to?" Weiss asked to nobody in particular.

"You just have to keep calling him names don't you?" The only male said.

Suddenly Penny appeared back in front of them, causing Weiss to question how she had got there. "What did you call me?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm really sorry. I definitely didn't think you heard me." Yang apologized.

"No not you." Penny said as she walked past everyone until she got to Ruby. "You."

"Me? I don't know, I, uhh… I.."

"Friend?" Ike answered for her.

"Yes!" Penny said as she leaned closer and closer to the scythe wielder. "Am I really your friend?"

"Ummm…" Ruby said as she looked to the rest of the group, who we're all mouthing no. "Ya, sure. Why not." This caused everyone to fall over, defeated.

"Sen-sational!" The weird girl yell as she threw her hands in the air. She then started listing off the things that they could do together, while Ruby asked Weiss.

"Is this what it was like when you first met me?"

"No, she seems far more coordinated."

"Does not!" Red said defending herself.

"She hasn't blown up yet." Blue said smugly.

The conversation then turned to why Penny was there, which they found out she was there to fight because she was, 'combat ready.'

"Wait, so does that mean you know that monkey tail… rapscallion?" The White Fang hating girl asked the world's strangest girl, but that last world only seemed to anger Blake.

"The who?"

"The Faunus from the boat!" Weiss said holding up a poorly drawn picture, which pushed Blake over the edge.

"Why do you keep saying that?! Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him a degenerate! He's a person!" This triggered another argument between Black and White, which the remaining three chose to stay out of.

"Uhh… I think we should probably go." Yellow said to the other two students.

"Go where?" Penny asked.

"Back to Beacon." Ike answered. "Hopefully they'll stop by the time we get there." He then turned to Penny and said, "It's been nice to meet you, but we have to leave. Hopefully we will see each other soon." He then walked over to the arguing students, and began to drag them away as Penny yelled out her goodbyes.

Unfortunately, Ike was far from correct with that statement as the argument went far into the night.

* * *

**I think we all know where this is going, but how will Ike be tied in? Who knows? Not me that's for sure. Anyways, I still need a good look for Eisenhower as well as a weapon, so make sure to pm me that. Remember, he's meant to be like 30 years-old. Well today is my day off from work so I'm going to go relax. Have a good day everyone and don't forget to pm and leave a review.**


	13. Chapter 13: Past Problems

**Hello everyone! How are you guys today? I've been better, but those are personal reasons. Sorry it took this long to get this chapter out, but that's due to two reason. 1: This is a somewhat long one. I supposed around 5000 words is average for me now though. 2: Some friends from out of town came to visit so I haven't been able to write. Just as a fair waning the next chapters will take longer to write, because school starts on Tuesday for me, so I'll write when I can. There's more importrant stuff at the bottom, so be sure to read that. Enjoy!**

* * *

Ike was laying down on his bed staring up at the ceiling, listening to the argument between Blake and Weiss. The argument over Faunus and the White Fang hadn't stopped for a second. Even at dinner the pair was at each other's throats, and nobody knew how to stop them. Team JNPR decided that this was an issue they didn't need to be part of, and had already left to go into Vale. The rest of them all just sat, listening to the two. Eventually Ike had had enough and sat up in his bed. He got up from his bed, and walked over to his girlfriend. Ruby was doing the same thing he was only moments ago. He gave her a quick kiss on her forehead and said, "I'm gonna go for a quick walk. Okay?"

Ruby sighed and replied. "Alright, don't take too long and be safe."

"I will be." Blue said as he retrieved his weapon, and walked out the door. To be completely honest, he had no clue where he was going. He just didn't want to be there anymore. He walked down the hallways, only trying to think of why Blake would be so upset about the whole Faunus thing. "Could she be a Faunus? No, that's crazy. She doesn't have any animal appendages. Maybe she's just a strong activist against racism? I suppose I'm not too far from that. I did fight team CRDL for picking on that one girl. I never did get her name though. I really need to stop talking to myself mentally. I do this way too often for it to be sane."

Ike then looked around, and noticed that he was right behind the statue in front of Beacon. "Ya, I need to stop talking to myself." Ike looked up at the statue. "It's sad, but I don't even know who this is. I'm sure he'd know where to go from here though." Ike sat down on the bench by the statue, sighed, and looked up at the night sky. It looked a lot like the night he first kissed Ruby. He smiled at the memory of that spectacular night.

His peaceful state was interrupted by the sound of heels clicking as they got closer. He got up and peeked around the statue, so see Blake standing in front of it. "Blake? What's she doing." She then reached up to her head and pulled on the ends of her bow, and revealed that she had cat ears. "And my first theory was right." The Faunus girl wiped away a tear from her eye as Ike stepped out from his corner.

"You know you didn't have to hide it from us." Blake's eyes filled with fear as she recognized the voice of her friend.

"Ike… I can… uh.." The archer smiled as she couldn't find the words. "I didn't want anyone to think less of me." Black admitted as she hung her head down in defeat. A few tears started to escape from her eyes

Ike walked over to her and wrapped her in a hug. "Nobody would've thought less of you. Just look what I did to Cardin." Blake let out a small laugh as she remembered the three teens trying to pull their leader from a wall. "So why are you out here?"

"I'd rather not say."

Ike pulled away from the girl, and looked straight into her eyes. "Blake, no matter what you say, nothing will change."

"I know that, but it's about my past."

"Nobody cares about your past." This sparked a bit of hope in the girl. "I should know that better than anyone. Everyone will see you for who you are now, not for who you were."

"I suppose your right." The girl with cat ears admitted. She then told him what had happened ever since he had walked out of the room. "And then I ran here, and you came around from the statue."

"So you were a member of the White Fang?" Blue asked.

"Yes, when I was younger."

"Well then, looks like I'm not the only one who was in a secret organization." Ike said.

"I promise, I'll explain everything tomorrow, it's just been a really long day."

"I understand. Now let's go back to the room." Ike started to walk back towards the building, but Blake didn't move.

"I don't think I can."

Ike turned around, but stayed where he was. "What do you mean?"

"I don't think I'm ready to go back to them yet." Blake confessed.

"Well, where are you going to go then?"

"She can stay with me." A voice said from above the two. They both looked up to see the monkey Faunus from the ship. He sounded a lot like Michael did, but there were a few differences. "I did think she'd look better without the bow." He then dropped from his perch on the building, and landed between the two. Ike pushed aura into his eyes, Ozpin's technique that he named sniper vision. The new arrival shone a bright blue.

"You knew all along?" The students of Beacon asked.

"Sure did. As soon as I passed her on the street I could see right through the whole bow disguise thing."

"Well, I guess it didn't quite hide you well enough." Ike commented.

"Nope, so what do you say? You coming with me?" The half monkey asked.

"I don't really have much of a choice, but first what's your name?" Blake asked.

"I'm Sun. Sun Wukong." He answered with a smile. "And you're Blake, but I didn't catch a last name."

"It's Belladonna. How'd you know my name?"

"I overheard you telling it to that orange haired girl." Sun then turned to Ike. "And your Ike insert last name here."

The archer chuckled at the joke, and replied, "Mers, my last name is Mers."

"Well it's nice to meet you. You ready to go, Blake?"

"Ya, but I need Gambol Shroud." Blake said.

"You need what?" Wukong asked confused.

"It's her weapon. Where is it?" Ike asked.

"In the room, but someone might still be up, so can you go get it for me?"

"Ya, I will. I'll be back in a few minutes." Ike walked back into the building leaving the Faunus pair outside."

Ike silently opened the door, to see everyone was soundly asleep. "This'll be easy." The only student awake thought to himself. He tiptoed over to Blake's bunk, when he retrieved Gambol Shroud from under the bed. He quickly turned around, but in his haste he kicked the bookcase between the set of bunks. This caused a loud thud, which woke up Ruby. The archer jumped around on one foot, as he held the other in pain, muffling a cry of pain. Red wiped the sleep out of her eyes and sat up.

"Ike? Why do you have Blake's weapon?" Ike thought on his feet or foot that is. Horribly.

"Uhh… Um…" He stammered. He then popped up in front of Ruby and moved his hands in circles. "This is all just a dream. You are very sleepy." Ruby stared blankly at her boyfriend, but decided it wasn't worth it.

"Whatever." The young girl fell back asleep soon after. Blue wiped away an invisible drop of sweat and snuck back out of the room. He then cautiously walked back to the Faunus who were just having awkward small talk.

"Here it is." Ike said as he held out Gambol Shroud.

"Thanks Ike, and please leave tonight between us." Blake asked.

"Of course. Please be safe."

"Don't worry about her, she has me." Sun said proudly.

"Ya, that's what I'm worried about. Anyways, good luck." Mers then turned and walked back towards his dorm as the monkey Faunus yelled about how much of a capable fighter he was.

The next morning Ike woke up before everyone, and looked over at Blake's bed, which was still empty. "How long are you going to be gone?" Blue thought to himself. Ruby woke up soon afterwards, and gave out a small yawn as she stretched out. She too looked over to her teammate's bed to see her gone. She instantly frowned and looked sadder than she ever had. "What's wrong?" Ike asked pretending to not know what had happened the other night.

"It's just that…" Ruby then explained what had happened, but he already knew the entire story.

When she finished her boyfriend gave her a hug and said, "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be back soon. We could always go look for her too."

"Ya, I guess. I just hope she's okay."

"I'm sure she will be." The archer said reassuringly.

"Hey, did you wake me up last night." Ike's eyes instantly widened as he gave out a not so convincing no.

**-Two Days Later-**

The search party had decided to split up. Ike went by himself as Ruby, Yang, and Weiss walked together. The plan was that they would soon split apart though. Ike walked down the street, trying to find the address of the shop he was meant to meet Blake and Sun. "She said it was a coffee shop right?" The teen thought to himself. He then realized he was completely lost, and got a higher vantage point.

He jumped on top of the tallest building he could and scanned the city. "This is pointless, there's no way I'll be able to see her. Oh wait, Ozpin's trick!" Ike activated his sniper vision and rescanned the city. He saw a lot of white and a few pieces of red. He saw that team RWY had meet up with Penny, and eventually found Belladonna and Wukong sitting on the balcony of a building. "There they are." Ike pushed off the side of the building, and rocketed towards the shop the pair were sitting out.

Only Ike made a terrible judgement with him pushing off. He was going was too fast. "Help!" He called out as he flew towards the Faunus.

"I got ya!" Sun called out as he dropped the cup he was holding with his tail. He then jumped off the table and caught the teen. However, the force behind Ike sent the pair off the balcony. Sun was able to catch Ike with his hands and hold onto the railing with his feet.

"Thanks." Ike said.

"Ya, ya. Just get back up, this isn't a good feeling for my feet."

Ike was tossed back up to the balcony, follow quickly by the monkey climbing back up.

"Now that that's over, let's get down to business." The two then turned their attention to the former member of the White Fang.

"Yes, so as you may or may not know I was a member of the White Fang." This shocking news made Sun chock on the tea in his mouth.

"Wait a minute. You were a member of the White Fang?" The blond asked.

"She sure was." Ike commented as he rocked his chair onto its back two legs.

"I was a member for most of my life actually. You could almost say I was born into it." Black added. **(I'm not writing this back story. We know what happened. She used to be a member, until they turned violent so on and so forth.) **"So here I am. A criminal hiding in plain view. All with the help of a little black bow." She added a twitch of her cat ears for added effect.

"So have you told your friends any of this?" Sun asked.

"Nobody but me." Blue answered as he rocked back and forth by pushing his foot on the table.

"I plan on telling everyone, but I'm just not ready yet." Black added.

"Well, let's take a walk, and see where it goes." Ike said as he stood up, knocking his chair over. He then looked down on at the furniture he was just sitting on and said, "Well it was bound to happen sooner or later."

"Ya, that seems like a good idea." The monkey said as he put the money down for the drinks.

The trio then walked down the street coming up with ideas on what to do, but nothing was any good.

"So, what's the plan? We've been at this forever." Sun wined.

"I still don't think the White Fang is behind these robberies. They've never needed that much dust before." Blake said trying to find answers.

"But what if they're planning something big?" Ike asked.

"Well the only way to prove that they didn't do it is to go to the place they would most likely go to if they were to do it and not find them there. Right?" Sun said very confusingly.

"The only thing is I have no idea where that would be." The half cat said poking a giant hole in the plan.

"There are ports everywhere though. Maybe one of them is unloading dust?" Ike said attempting to patch the hole.

"While I was on the ship I heard some guys talking about offloading a huge shipment of dust coming in from Atlas." Wukong added.

"How huge?" The girl asked.

"HUGE." The blonde responded. "Big Schnee company freighter."

"And you're sure about this?" The archer asked.

"As sure as I am that I have a tail." He answered twirling his tail.

"Sounds like a plan then." Ike said happily.

"Lead the way." Blake said as her Faunus friend began walking down the street.

**-Later that Day-**

The trio finally arrived at the docks as the sun was setting, but nothing was happening. They decided it would be best to have a higher vantage point, so the only full blooded human propelled his commands onto the roof of a building with his feet. He himself then jumped up to the top with them. The three waited for a while, until the two male members got bored. "Well, I'm taking a nap. Wake me up when something happens." Ike said as he pulled out a pillow and a blanket from nowhere. Sun was surprised that he could be so relaxed, while Blake was too focused to care. The monkey Faunus left shortly after to go 'buy' some food, and yet again his cat eared friend was too focused to archer was sleeping at that point, so his opinion didn't matter. Wukong returned shortly after the moon had risen, and chatted with Blake. Ike was still sound asleep.

His slumber was soon interrupted by the sound of a bullhead flying overhead. Ike sprang to life and got in a fighting stance as he said, "Who's there?"

"Get down!" Blake hissed. Ike then dove back to the ground and crawled up next to the Faunus pair.

"I told you to wake me up if something happened."

"This is the first thing that happened other than me stealing food." The blonde said.

"So you did steal it!" Blake accused.

"Weren't you in a cult or something?" Sun responded, which earned his dirty stares. "Ok, too soon."

The plane soon landed and men with matching uniforms all stepped out. "Oh, no." said Black.

"Is that them?" Wukong asked.

"Yep, look at the emblem on their backs." Ike pointed out.

Blake continued to give a disappointed look as she watched her former commands get to work. "You really didn't think they were behind it, did you?" Sun asked.

"No, I think deep down I knew. I just didn't want to be right."

"Hey, what's the hold up!?" A voice called out from below.

"Why does that sound familiar?" Blue asked himself. Then a man he recognized stepped out of the bullhead and began giving orders. Torchwick.

"This isn't right." Black said as she got up. "The White Fang would never work with a human."

"Ya, and I doubt Torchwick is the nicest person to work with." The archer added. Blake then drew her blade and began walking towards the edge. "Wait, stop." he called out, but his cries fell upon deaf ears as she jumped from the edge and charged at the leader.

"What's she doing?" Sun asked, surprised by her recklessness.

"Just be patient. I'm sure she has a plan." Blake snuck up behind Torchwick, and held her blade to his throat. The White Fang members all drew they're weapons, but as she pulled off her bow they all lowered them. Blake and Torchwick were having a short conversation, until two more bullheads flew in. While she was distracted Roman moved his cane next to her feet. "Uhh ohh."

"What?" The Faunus asked Ike. Then there was an explosion, which sent Blake flying back, and created a giant cloud of smoke. "She's gonna need help." Sun said as Roman fired rocket after rocket.

"Way head of ya." The archer said as he drew back his bow. "I'll cover you from a distance, just go down there and start fighting." He ordered. Sun wasted no time jumping down from the perch and running over to where Roman was. As the ninja cat disappeared in the crates, the other Faunus positioned himself on a crate right above Torchwick. As the criminal walked past, Sun dropped a banana peel on his head. This made Ike laugh a bit, and say "Classic." He then released a lightning arrow at the feet of a few White Fang members, which paralyzed them for the time being. "Just don't shoot to kill." Ike thought.

His male partner jumped off the crate he was on and landed on the bowler hat wearing fiend's face, rolling and flipping as he landed. That's when the doors opened on one of the bullheads, and White Fang members began piling out. Sun began to take the fight more seriously as he punched and kicked his way through his enemies, as Ike supported him with a combination of lightning and ice arrows. Wukong eventually spun and popped out a bo staff from nowhere. He then connected said staff to the chest of a White Fang member.

As the blond Faunus slammed his staff on the ground, one White Fang member came from behind him ready to deliver a decisive blow. Before his weapon came down, an ice arrow hit his chest turning him into an ice cube. The teen on the ground then spun and smashed through the ice sending the cult member flying. A few more members attempted attacking, but were quickly dispatched by the pair. As the last enemy was sent sailing at Roman, the crook raised his weapon ready to fire. Which he did. Sun countered by spinning his staff, canceling out the effect of the shot.

Ike then launched an arrow at Torchwick, aimed to get stuck in his shoulder. The ringleader turned his attention to the arrow, and smacked it out of the air with a smile. Blake then appeared from nowhere and rushed the cane wielder. She slashed at the man, however he easily blocked all of her strikes. The archer attempted to line up a shot, but Black was always in the way. "I don't have a shot!" He said angrily as he lowered his bow. Eventually Torchwick landed a few blows on the female Faunus, and knocked her to the ground.

Before any more damage could be done the staff wielder came to the rescue with a flying kick. Ike was torn at this moment whether he should leave his post and help, or stay in case of reinforcements. He watched onward as Sun's staff turned into a pair of nunchucks that also fired shotgun shells. Even as fast as the weapons were spun and fired Roman was able to block the blows. His guard was eventually broke though, and Blake capitalized on it. She came flying in and sliced across the criminal's chest sending him flying backwards. He got back up and fired at the cables holding up a crate dropping it. It was sure to smash the pair on the ground, but Ike notched an arrow. Time seemed to slow as he made the decision if he should fire or not.

"It's not safe, they'll move out of the way." On part of his head thought.

"But what if they don't? They'll die when you could've saved them. It's worth the chance." The other part thought.

"Why are we helping them at all?" Dark Ike said.

"I thought you were gone?" Ike asked his inner conscious.

"Put to rest, but not gone." It replied.

Ike made his decision, raised his bow, and fired. The arrow connected with the crate causing a major explosion that decimated the crate and the area around it. The light off of the explosion made him shield his eyes, but once it was gone he looked back to see the damage done. The explosion tore the crate to pieces and made a giant crater in the ground. All three on the ground had been sent flying different direction, but Torchwick was quicker to get back up than the other two. "So that's what volatile demolition dust can do." The person who just launched a bomb thought to himself.

As Sun was ready to get back up Roman was already waiting for him, cane pointed directly at him. Ike reached for another arrow, but when he only grasped air. He realized he was out of arrows. "This isn't good." That was the only thing ran though his mind as he waited to see the staff wielder be blown to bits. A voiced stopped this from happening though.

"Hey!" Ike looked over to see Ruby standing there with Crescent Rose at her side. Penny soon walked up behind her and distracted her for a moment. That's all the man with the cane needed. He raised his weapon and fired too fast for Ike to say anything. The girl was sent flying backwards from the explosion. Ike, worried for Ruby, launched himself up to where his girlfriend was and helped her sit up.

"You okay?" He asked worried.

"Ya, I'll be fine. But I think I have to sit this one out." She replied.

"You do. Just sit here and rest. I got this." Before she could object the archer changed his weapon into Ichor and Nero. Rage began to fill his body as he looked downward at Torchwick. However, this rage was different. He felt stronger than ever, but he was still in control.

"Put to rest, but not gone." Those were the words that rang in his head. Someone walked up next to him. He looked over to see Penny right next to him. They gave a small nod to each other before Ike jumped from the building and an assortment of blades appeared from Penny's back.

The angered teen landed and charged directly at Torchwick. He fired a shot from his cane at Ike, which the teen sliced in half triggering the explosive, stopping him where he stood. The goon laughed manically, but stopped abruptly as he looked at what stood before him. The blue haired teen stood in the fire of the shot and slowly raised his head. He gave a death glare at the man and said, "Today you messed with the wrong people."

Mers continued his charge as he dodged the rockets being launched by his enemy. The Faunus pair looked onwards but decided it would be best to stay out of it, figuring they'd only get in the way.

More White Fang members spawned from nowhere and continued their assault. The first man opened fire with a rifle, but hit bullets were blocked by Ike as he pressed onwards. He kicked the man in the stomach with his super charged feet, and sent him flying into his comrades. As the group struggled to get back up the boss made his move.

Torchwick lifted his cane and fired another shot at the seemingly invincible teen. Ike rolled to the left and quickened his pace. Another shot was launched at Ike, but this time he dove over it. As the projectile flew under him he grabbed it in the air, and threw it at an incoming bullhead. He rolled as he landed and listened to the sweet sound of the plane exploding behind him. He finally reached the man and swung Nero downwards at him. Torchwick raised his cane horizontally to block the strike, but didn't account for the amount of power the teen had behind him. As the weapons made contact the older man was forced down onto one knee as he tried to push back. "Told ya you did something wrong." Ike said with a smile and he kicked the man in the face sending him flying backwards.

Blue was soon surrounded by White Fang members as Torchwick climbed onto one of the few remaining bullheads. That's when some assistance arrived in the shape of a circle of swords demolishing the Faunus. Ike looked over to see Penny retrieving her swords. He gave her a small smile of appreciation until he ran after the plane taking off. He jumped as high in the air as he could and stuck his blades into its haul. That's when the door opened and Torchwick looked over at Ike hanging on. "Not again." Ike thought. But it was going to happen again. Roman then kicked him off the plane and into the water below. Thankfully Blue had a death grip one his weapons.

Ike pulled himself back to shore as shook the water out of his hair. Before he could do much of anything, he was then tackled by Ruby and one of her death hugs. "What did I say about doing stupid things?" She half scolded.

"That I shouldn't do them?" Ike said remember when he had woken up from him coma.

"Yes! You almost got yourself killed, again!"

"Don't worry I'm fine. See?" He responded with a thumbs up.

"You've been around Jaune too much." Red said as she gave him a quick kiss. "Now come on, we're gonna go talk to Blake."

"Alright then."

"By the way, how did you get here so quickly?" The scythe wielder asked.

"I'm sure that'll be explain here in a second." Her boyfriend answered.

As the pair walked up to the rest of their friends plenty of questions were being thrown around. Eventually Blake saw the need for order and said, "Let me just explain what happened. The night I ran away from you guys, I told Ike everything that had happened. He was the first to see me with my bow. That's when Sun showed up, and I stayed with him for this time. Eventually Ike met up with us and I told him all about my affiliation with the White Fang. Then we had the idea to come here to prove the White Fang weren't behind the dust robberies." Sun then stopped her by clearing his throat loudly. "Sorry, that was Sun's idea. Anyways, then we came here and fought Torchwick and the White Fang. Then you guys showed up."

"Do you care to explain your affiliation with the White Fang?" Weiss asked angrily.

"I will later, when we aren't in public. Just know that I'm no longer a part of that organization."

"Wait, so you knew the entire time?" Ruby asked Ike.

"Uhh… Yes?" He answered. "But I did it, because it was Blake's wish. She was going through a tough time and I didn't want to make it harder."

"Hmmm, I guess you're off the hook." Ruby said somewhat detective like. Ike breathed a sigh of relief, then Ruby said, "This time."

"I can't thank you enough for that." Black said to Blue, to which he simply gave a smile back.

"But you aren't" White said not changing her tone. "Do you have any idea long we've been searching for you!?" The cat eared girl said nothing in response. "12 hours. That means I've had twelve hours to think about this, and in that 12 hours I have decided… I don't care!"

"You don't care?" Blake asked.

"You said you're not one of them anymore, right?"

"No, I haven't been sense I was younger…" Then Weiss cut her off.

"Ubababababup. I don't wanna hear it. All I want to know is that next time something this big comes up… You'll come to your teammates. And I mean all of them, not just Ike. And don't go to some…" She then looked at Wukong. "Someone else."

Blake wiped away another tear and said, "Of course."

"Ya team RWJNPRBY plus Ike is back together!" Ruby called out.

"You seriously can't put an I at the end?" The archer asked.

"Nope." His girlfriend replied popping the P.

"I'm still not quite sure how I feel about you." Weiss said pointing at teen with a tail, who laughed nervously.

"Hey, wait a minute. Where's Penny?" Ruby asked. That's when Ike's scroll made a 'Ping' sound signaling he had a new message.

Blue pulled out the device and said, "Blake and I have to do something before we worried about her first."

"And what would that be?" Yang asked.

"Ozpin wants to see us both as soon as we get back to Beacon."

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**Well then, that was a thing. Anyways, there's no real big news on the story, so don't forget to send me a PM and leave a review so I can talk to you and read your feedback. I'll see you next time. Bye!**


	14. Chapter 14: Dark Rising

**Ahh, back to nice and short chapters. You guys probably hate it, but its easier for me. I don't think this is a great chapter, but a new chapter is long overdue. I've been super busy and writing in my free time, so this is what all those days have done for me. School really sucks, but that's not new. Anyways I hope everyone enjoys.**

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"Mr. Mers." The silver haired man said as he walked into the room. "I know it's been a long day, so I'll make this brief."

"Very well." Was the student's reply.

"You've said that you've had training in a rather unpleasant area of life. Care to elaborate more on that?"

"There's not much else to say. Just got caught up with a bad organization." Ike answered.

"I see, and could it be possible you might've angered more than a few people along the way?" Ozpin asked, almost seeming like he knew more than what he let on.

"I suppose, but everyone makes enemies along the way."

"Mr. Mers, please don't sidestep the real reason behind this. We know about your plan. We understand that you want to destroy your former allies."

Mr. Mers sighed and lowered his head. "Yes, that's what I'm planning. I'm assuming you know about everyone else's involvement in said plan."

"Yes, I do."

"I understand that this might make you upset that students are doing something dangerous, please know that they aren't responsible for this. I take full blame for any punishment."

"I think you misunderstood me. I do not wish to hinder you from what you are doing. I wish to help."

"What?"

"You are going to take down a criminal organization, and not only does that increase Beacon's reputation it also protects the citizens of Vale. So I will give any resources you may see that are needed."

The archer was completely stunned. He was expecting to be chewed out for all the damage he had caused, but instead he was being rewarded. "While I appreciate the offer, I don't want to use any of your resources. This is my fight and not Beacon's. I didn't even want to drag teams RWBY and JNPR into all of this, but they didn't give me an option."

"Very well." The headmaster said as he stood up. "Don't hesitate to come to me for help." The man then placed his hand on the table. "However, before we leave I think you should have these." He lifted his hand to expose different types of dust.

"What're these?"

"Extremely volatile dust. I saw how you used your explosive arrow, and it's obvious that wasn't regular dust. These are the best we can offer, so use them well." He then turned and began to walk out the door. "And I believe a rather special date is approaching." Ike thought as hard as he could, before realizing he had almost forgotten about his own birthday. He doubted Ruby would've forgotten though.

"Thank you." Ike said as the door closed behind the headmaster. He then looked down at the dust that lay in front of him. There was enough for 2 ice arrows, a fire one, another demolition, 3 lightning, a healing arrow, and 2 water arrows. He chuckled slightly at the thought of an arrow that could heal a person, but figured that'd be the best way to use them. He picked up the vials and walked out the door, latching it behind him.

He passed Blake as she was walking towards the room he had just left. She looked just as calm as ever, but he could see a small bit of nervousness inside her. "Don't worry. Nothing bad will happen." He said reassuringly, but didn't get a response.

Ike returned to his room and was glad to see everyone asleep. The blue haired teen carefully placed the vials of dust in his closet and took a shower. The feeling of the soothing water rushing over him was a welcome one. He placed his head against the wall and let out a long a steady breath. "Well, now I need to think what to do for my birthday." He eventually turned off the water and stepped out. Ike put on a pair of sweatpants and collapsed into his bed. Sleep came to him almost immediately. However, he wasn't fortunate enough to have his sleep be relaxing.

Ike sat up and looked around him. It was far too dark to be able to see anything, but he could feel the ground below him was hard. He touched the ground with his hand, and instantly realized that it was covered in snow. He then pushed through that layer of snow to feel the grass below him. "How can I be in the snow? It's not even winter. And I'm sure I would've realized if someone had kidnapped me. That must mean that this is…. Oh no." Ike turned to see a light in the darkness. It was him. "Why am I here again?" Ike asked his Light side.

"I've brought you here, because I need to give you a word of warning."

"Alright, but could you make it so I can see?"

"No." His bright side answered.

"Why not, I thought dark me wasn't here anymore."

"As he told you, he's simply asleep. I couldn't destroy him completely without killing you."

"So we're…" Blue said trailing off.

"Yes, we're in his domain. This is the only part of your head he can still control. Now, I need to let you know Dark You will be back, and this time I won't be able to help you."

"Why not?"

"He'll be far too strong for me. You will need to fight for your own survival. It's your mind, don't let him take it." And with that the troubled teen sat up in his bed in a cold sweat.

"Morning." His girlfriend practically sang as she skipped over to him. That's when she saw how horrible he looked. "Are you ok?"

"Ya, I'm fine. Just a bad dream." He replied, but he didn't seem like he was fully there.

"Are you sure? You looked really freaked out."

"I'll be okay. Like I said it was just a dream." He lied again. He gave his girlfriend a quick kiss on the cheek and went to get changed into his uniform. His mind was elsewhere though, as he couldn't help but think about the warning he was given.

"I was trapped in my head for weeks last time, and only got out because of my good side. What'll he be capable of doing this time? Then again I'm aware of him now, and won't be in a coma already. I suppose I'll just cross that bridge when I get to it."

He walked out of the bathroom and gathered his notebooks. "Hey Ike?" Ruby asked.

"Ya?"

"What'd Ozpin want last night?"

"He wanted to offer his help in taking down Victor." Ike answered.

"Awesome! Now we have the full power of Beacon behind us!"

"I turned him down." He commented quickly.

"You did what?!" Ruby yelled waking everyone up.

"What's going on?" Jaune asked rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Ozpin offered his help with the whole Victor thing, but Ike turned him down."

"Why'd you do that?" Yang asked.

"It's not Beacon's fight." He responded as he sharpened his blades. "It's not even your fight. You simply wouldn't let me go in alone."

"But he offered his help!" Yang said getting angry.

"He's right." Weiss said being the voice of reason.

"What!?" The sisters yelled together.

"We shouldn't drag everyone into this." Ren added. "Ike's correct in saying that this isn't our fight either, but none of us could live with ourselves if something bad happened to him."

"We can do this just fine by ourselves." The archer said as he stood up. "End of discussion. Before I forget, Ruby would you mind making some custom arrows for me?"

"Not at all. What kind of arrows?"

"There's special dust Ozpin gave me in my closet. Be careful, because they're all extremely volatile, meaning it's some of the most dangerous dust in the world but it's strong. I need them put into arrows." He answered.

"If it's that dangerous I should probably come with, seeing as I am a dust expert." White added confidently.

"That's a pretty good idea, I don't want Ruby blowing herself up." The archer answered. "Well, I'm heading to class, because we have about ten minutes before it starts." He then quickly left the room, and listened to the sound of everyone inside panicking.

Ike sat down in Professor Port's class, and waited for the bell to chime. Eventually he had everything out on his desk, and looked back at the clock to see there was about a minute left before class started. That soon changed to 30 seconds. Then 20. Once the clock his the 10 second marker, Blue began to count down. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1." As soon as he said the last number his eight friends burst through the door, and collapsed over each other. The bell chimed shortly after as they all got back up and fixed their clothing. "Nice of you to show up." He said smugly to his girlfriend.

"You know, it would've been nice for a longer warning than 10 minutes." She replied.

"Ya, I know. I just wanted everyone to have to fight for the bathroom. Who won by the way?"

"Weiss. She froze everyone else." Ike looked over to see the only person in the group to be actually dressed correctly. Everyone else had bedhead and a hastily put on uniform.

"That doesn't really surprise me."

"It shouldn't. I'm going to take a nap though so wake me up at the end of class?" Red asked.

"Will do." The early riser said with a salute before the younger girl closed her eyes. He then tried to find something to preoccupy himself with.

"Why do I even bring stuff to this class? All Port ever does is talk about his childhood, and Weiss is the only person who listens." He started trying to brainstorm what to do about his upcoming birthday. While many people thought it was odd Ike worried about becoming another year older, he figured it was perfectly reasonable. As a child, the Mers family didn't have much money, so they never celebrated birthdays. This pattern continued well throughout the years the two brothers lived by themselves, and to the point where Ike simply didn't want people to make a big deal about the event. This meant that the teen always preferred the feeling he got making someone happy, instead of getting a material object. Plus, Ike never really enjoyed people revolving an entire day around him.The main issue at this point was getting everyone else to not celebrate along with him. And that was a task in it of itself. With the eccentric friends he had, there would be no way he would be able to talk them out of it, so he decided to simply cash in one of his favors.

"Hey Blake." He whispered to the bored looking girl.

"Yes?"

"You wanna help me hide Wednesday?"

"Why would I do that, and why do you need to hide?" She asked.

"One, you owe me a favor. Two, I'll explain that when you find us a good tree to hide in."

"You know, that was a horrible hidden joke."

"Ya, but will you help me?" Blue asked trying to replicate Ruby's puppy dog eyes.

"I suppose I don't have a choice." Ike silently celebrated and threw a few fist pumps in the air.

**-Wednesday-**

It was the day Ike was fearing would come. His birthday. And Ruby hadn't forgotten, and let just about everyone else know. Only Ike had a plan. He woke up around five in the morning. Red had already woken him up at midnight to tell him happy birthday, before they both fell back asleep in seconds. He cautiously stepped around the room, and gathered his clothes and a bottle of water before he woke up Blake.

"Ike?" She asked groggily. "Why are you waking me up at 5?"

"Good morning to you too, but we have to hide before Ruby wakes up so let's go."

"You mean you have to hide. I already know that you don't want to celebrate your birthday, and I don't really blame you. However, there's no reason for me to sit in one spot for the entire day."

"Fair enough. Just go get changed and we can go."

"No need to. I'm going to show you where to hide and then go back to sleep. Let's go." Before Ike could protest anything the Faunus had already walked out the door.

The male teen jogged to catch back up and eventually did. He tired making conversation, but Black simply shot him down before any conversation could really happen. She was simply too tired to actually say anything. Eventually they got outside, and Blake pointed to a giant tree. "Just jump up there."

"That's it? I thought you had like a network of underground passages or something." Blue said dumbfounded.

"Nope. You did tell me to find a good tree to hide in so I did."

"It was a joke."

"Well next time you might think of the consequences of saying something so idiotic." The black haired girl then turned and walked away. "Good luck." She called out before entering Beacon once more.

"Of all the idiotic places to hide." Ike mumbled to himself, before he launched himself to the lowest branch. He began to slowly make his way up the tree, until he found a decent sized limb to sleep on. He closed his eyes and let sleep take him away.

He opened his eyes to find himself in the same void as before, only this time there was no light in the dark. "Hello?" the teen called out.

"Hi." An evil voice responded. The voice of his inner enemy.

"Why am I here?" Real Ike asked.

"I simply thought it'd be nice to introduce myself. I never did tell you my name when you first arrived." The voice said.

"You're me so wouldn't you be Ike?"

"Yes, but I'm another side of you. Think of me as an evil twin brother in your head. I named myself Vesh."

"Any last name Vesh?" Ike asked the voice that had yet to show itself.

"I told you I'm practically your brother, so my last name would still be Mers."

"Very well, only know that you won't be able to take over my body. I know your plans and will stop them."

"Let's just see where the chips fall shall we?" Vesh said as his voice got more and more distant, before it was completely gone. The archer sat in silence for a few moments before the feeling of wind rushing past his face woke him up.

The hidden teen opened his eyes to find himself plummeting.

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**Cliffhanger! Ehh not really, but its the best you'll get. I named Vesh from a random name generator, and I just got sick of calling him Dark Ike. It annoyed me so much. In other news, I do have an idea for Eisenhower, but I think you guys could do better, so make sure to send in a design. Soccer has started, so these chapters will slow down even more than they are, but I will still post. That's about it for news, so make sure to send me a pm and leave a review. I'll see everyone next time!**


	15. Chapter 15: Begining of the End

**Welcome back everyone! How is everyone today? I've had better days, but I'll get to that at the bottom part. Anyways, I don't have much else to say so make sure to leave a pm and a review.**

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Only one thought came through Ike's head as the ground got closer and closer. "Well this sucks."

He slammed into the ground face first with a thud and made a cartoon like hole in the ground. The students slowly pulled himself out of the ground and shook the stars out of his eyes. That's when he heard something he wished he hadn't. Ruby. "There you are!" She called out as she walked towards him.

"Oh no. This is bad. Think Ike. How do you get out of this?" Blue thought as the girl got closer and closer. "Ok, you can't out run her. She definitely knows it's your birthday. There's only one way out of this. Act like you're having a heart attack." He tried remembering what the signs of a heart attack were, but couldn't remember them. "Why don't I ever pay attention in class?" He thought to himself. That's when his time ran out, and he began to think on his feet.

"Are you okay? That was a pretty big fall." Red asked.

"Ya." That's when his over dramatic act began. "Ohh my heart. It hurts so badly." He began to stumble around and fell to his knees. "I think I'm having a heart attack." The lying teen then fell onto his chest, but Ruby simply stood looking down at him.

"Am I supposed to believe that?" Ruby asked.

"Maybe."

"That was the worst fake heart attack ever. Of all time."

"I didn't think it was that bad." The boy said with his face still on the ground.

"Get up and tell me why you were in a tree. Blake's tree none the less."

"Well it's kind of my birthday, and I don't want anyone making a big deal out of it. So I had Blake help me hide." He admitted.

"Hmm, makes sense. Blake didn't put much effort into it though."

"Obviously." He grumbled.

"Well, despite the fact you don't want to celebrate we do so let's go." Ruby grabbed her boyfriend's hand before he could protest and took of sprinting toward the dorm room.

Eventually, Ruby stopped in front of the room, and Ike dropped to the ground.

"Never do that again. Please." He begged.

"Well now you know what it's like when you go boosting yourself into the air with someone." She responded.

"Fair enough." The teen then got back up to his feet and sighed. "There's no way we can just not to this?"

"Nope."

"Fine, let's just get this over with." He then turned the door handle and pushed the door open. Inside everything just looked normal, which gave Ike a bit of home. He took one step into the room. And then another. Then his hope was destroyed.

"Happy Birthday!" Yang yelled out as she pulled on a rope. That dropped the illusion of a normal room, which was painted on fake walls, and revealed streamer and balloons everywhere. Nora ran over and put a party hat on his head, and Ren sarcastically blew a party horn. Everyone else looked somewhat normal, except for Jaune who was giving him a look that said, "Sucks to be you."

"Thanks guys, but I've had a long night in a tree. Care if I take a nap?" The archer asked.

"Not at all." Weiss responded for everyone. Ike then flopped down onto his bed and took a short nap.

He woke up to the sound of bed springs squeaking. He opened his eyes to see a sight that didn't surprise him. Nora jumping on her bed. "He's up." She sang. Everyone gathered around his bed, and awaited for him to do something, only he didn't know what.

"Am I supposed to do something?" He asked.

"It's present time!" His girlfriend responded, before handing him a giant box. "It's from everyone." Ike carefully opened the present expecting to see some kind of explosive, only he saw another wrapped box. He opened the next box, and the one inside that one, and then the next one. Each time he was even more worried someone had planted something in it that would hurt him. Eventually he got to the tenth box and didn't even care about having something bad happen to him. However, this time when he didn't see another box. Inside was a pistol, a few loaded clips, and arrows.

"It took forever to make the pistol, but it's finally done." Ruby said proudly.

"And none of the dust in the bullets or the arrows exploded." Weiss added. "Just be careful with the arrows."

Ike simply smiled and picked up the gun. It was identical to Red Mortem, only it had a few blue accents. "Thank you everyone." Ike said happily.

"There aren't any modifications to the gun. We thought that'd ruin the sentimental value behind the design." Yang commented.

"It would've." Ike said chuckling a bit. "Well, there's only one way to test it."

"To the firing range!" Ruby announced.

**-Later that Night-**

Ike sat one of the many balconies in Beacon, yet again looking up at the sky. It was a somewhat cloudy night, but not enough to block all the stars. "Getting a bit of air?" Ruby asked from behind him.

"Ya, just thinking about James." He said without turning around. Red then walked up next to him and sat down. "This sure brings back memories doesn't it?"

"Ya, it does. Good ones though."

"Really good ones." Blue added with a smile. "Ya know, James always wanted me to celebrate my birthday too. I just never liked him putting me before him. I guess that's just the nature of an older sibling though."

"It is." Ruby said with a giggle. "I remember this one year, Yang tried throwing me this huge party for my birthday. She had a whole big plan on everything we'd do that day, only she was 12 at the time so she didn't have the money to do any of it. My Uncle Qrow ended up taking us to the zoo and giving us a tour of Signal. Yang was kinda upset that her plan didn't work, but it was still a fun day."

The two sat in silence for a while, until Blue spoke up. "I was actually hoping something like this would happen so I could give you this." Ike pulled out a small wrapped box from his pocket and handed it to Ruby.

"But, it's your bir…" Her boyfriend cut her off though.

"The only gift I need is to see you happy." Ruby smiled at the selfless comment and gave him a quick kiss before unwrapping the gift. It was a small black box, which she opened to see a golden chain bracelet inside. On the bracelet were two charms. One was Ruby's symbol, while the other was a drop of water. "The second one is my symbol, Regen." The girl admired the piece of jewelry, before putting it on.

"Thanks." She then gave the boy a hug, and both looked up and the full moon. "So what's this gun's name?"

Ike looked down at the weapon on his hip and thought for a moment. "Blue Ruhe." He declared.

"Why that?"

"Well, James's was Red Mortem, which is all about violence, so I figured its brother should be the completely opposite."

"Makes sense." Ruby said as she turned her attention back to the moon. Ike looked out the corner of his eye to see Sun perched on the tree just outside one of the windows to the conjoined room.

"Doubt that's the last I see of him." He thought.

**-A Few Days Later-**

"Well, I think we've wasted enough time as is. Let's get down to business." Blue declared.

"And that would be?" Jaune asked.

"Taking down Victor." His friend responded.

"Aye sir!" Ruby said with a salute. "What's the plan?"

"First thing's first. We need info from someone on the not too lawful side of things."

"I think I know just the man." Yang replied with a smile.

"Junior?" Blake asked.

"Exactly, but I don't think it's a good idea to go in with a bunch of people." Yellow replied.

"Then it'll just be me and you." Ike said to Yang.

"Then what're we meant to do?" Pyrrha asked.

"All of you should scout around Vale and eavesdrop as much as possible. This Junior guy's information might be good, but he might not know everything." Ike commanded.

"Sounds good enough to me." Ren replied as he slipped his guns into his sleeves.

"Me too!" Nora added happily.

"Good, I'll let everyone choose who they'll be going out with, but nobody goes solo. Got it?"

"Yes sir!" They all replied in unison.

"Excellent, now let's go." The archer said as he grabbed his weapons and left with Yang right behind him.

"So how far away is Junior?"

"Only a few miles from the ship's drop off point." His female partner responded.

"So are we just walking there?"

"I have a better plan."

**-Junior's Club-**

Yang finally slammed on the breaks of her motorcycle right outside of the club. She removed her helmet and stepped off as if she hadn't just driven like a manic. Ike, however, fell off the right side of it and hit the ground with a thud. "Do you always drive like an idiot?" He asked still dazed.

"Yep. You get used to it after a while." She replied.

"How long is a while?"

"Only a few months. I'm sure you'll grow to like it."

"I bet I will." He said sarcastically as he finally got back up to his feet. Yang was already walking up to the door of the club though. He jogged a bit to catch up with her and pushed the door open. The pair stepped inside, and the blonde announced her arrival.

"You guys miss me?" She asked. Everyone inside the club responded by pulling out guns and aiming at the two.

"I thought you were welcome here?" Ike asked her.

"I never said that."

"Wait, I recognize those uniforms." A short flashback of all the men who wore the same clothes appeared in Ike's head for a moment, before he readied his weapons.

"Don't." Yang said seriously.

"Why shouldn't I?" Ike said with venom pouring out of his mouth.

"First of all, we're way outnumbered. It's a death wish to fight them. Secondly, they're just guns for hire. They didn't realize what they were doing. They only did as they were told." Ike's eyes still had fire in them, but she was right. Fighting now would be a death wish. He sighed and lowered his blades. "Good, now come on. Junior's right over there." The two pushed through the group of men, who seemed to be afraid of Yang for some reason.

"Why do they all look terrified?" He asked.

"I came in here a few month ago and destroyed the place." She replied as if it were a common thing to do.

"Wait, you're the one who stole the Junior contract from us?" Blue asked.

"Sure did, but I did it for information not money."

"Did you get any?"

"Nope. Let's just say it ended with a lot of people hurt."

The students walked over to the bar a man was standing behind, passing two very angry looking girls along the way, and sat down. "Hey there." The brawler said happily.

"Not you again." The man said in a gruff voice.

"Yep me again, but this time I have a friend! Ike this is Junior, Junior this is Ike."

"Hi." Ike said still a bit upset about the people he was around.

"Is he like you?" Junior asked.

"Yep." The girl replied.

"Great, another person to ruin my establishment. Now what do you want blondie?"

"We need information." Ike answered for her.

"And what kind?"

"Anything pertaining to a criminal organization that hunts people down." The teen replied.

"I think I know the one you're talking about. The one that's taken down people like me?" The man asked.

"The same."

"And why would you need info on them?"

"Let's just say we have some bad blood." Blue responded darkly.

"I think a lot of people do, but I don't know that much about them."

"Have you rented out any of your men recently?" The brawler asked.

"Not really. Ever since you wrecked this place, business has been bad. Only two people have hired them within a few months."

"And they are?" The tang wielder asked.

"Well, that might cost ya." The bartender replied.

"How about you give me what I want, and I won't kill everyone in the place." Ike negotiated darkly.

"That sounds like a good deal." The man replied with some fear in his voice. "You were wrong blondie, he's much worse than you."

"Ya, I know." Blondie responded.

"Anyways, the only people who've hired my men in the past few months would be, Roman Torchwick and a guy who called himself named Wessel." Just the mention of that man's name almost sent Ike overboard. He restrained himself however.

"Know where Wessel is?" Yellow asked

"Not a clue, I guess some guy burned down his old HQ and he got another one."

"Did he say why he needed the men?" Xiao Long asked.

"For protection from the organization you're after. I'm guessing it didn't work." The man in the suit replied.

"Anything else we should know?" Ike asked.

"Not that I could think of." The man replied.

"Good." Blue then stood up and started walking towards the down, with Yang following closely behind him.

"So did that help at all?" She asked.

"Maybe, depends if Wessel has any connection to the organization."

"Will he?"

"Possibly. I sent a pretty big signal last time we met. I'm sure he's trying just as hard to destroy the people I worked for as I am." He then pulled the door open, and punched one of the guards standing next to it in the face, sending him flying. The remained raised their guns, but Ike's voice stopped them. "Be glad it was only him." And with that the pair walked out the door.

**-Back at Beacon-**

The groups reconvened in the dorm room. Yang and Ike were the third pair to return right after the team of Blake, Ruby, and Weiss and Pyrrha and Jaune. "Hey guys." Ike said as he placed his weapons back.

"Hey." Everyone said individually.

"Where's Ren and Nora?" The archer asked.

"Ren sent me a message on my scroll. Nora found a new ice cream shop on the way back, so they'll be a while." The Spartan answered.

"Did he say if they found anything?" Ruby asked.

"He said they didn't. Just useless information." The pure red haired girl replied.

"That's no good. Anybody else discover something?" Blue asked.

"Nothing here." Jaune replied.

"We might've overheard something useful." Blake said.

"Well tell us." Yang commanded her teammate.

"We heard a few guys talking about getting hired by a guy to help him move." Weiss answered.

"So you think someone moving is criminal?" Ike asked slightly concerned about the mental health of RWB.

"They aren't moving ordinary things though." Ruby added. "It's all weapons and Dust."

"Could it be Torchwick?" Pyrrha asked.

"Doubt it, he wouldn't need movers if he had the White Fang." Black answered.

"Did you get an address?" Yang asked her sister.

"No, but the place they're at is supposed to be in an under a parking garage a few blocks from the docks. I don't think we could miss it."

"Well, either we find the person we're looking for, or we stop some criminal activity." Blue said.

"Sounds good to me either way." The brawler commented.

"Me too." Jaune added.

"Excellent, let's get ready for a raid." Ike said with a smile. That's when the pair of opposites burst through the door. Well at least one of them did.

"We're back!" Nora exclaimed. Ren simply walked in shaking his head.

"Did we miss anything?" The green clad boy asked.

"We're gonna go raid a place by the docks in a few days. You in?" Blue asked.

"Oooo that sounds like fun. Can we go Ren?" The orange haired girl asked.

"Well, we did agree to help Ike, so yes we can go." This caused Nora to cheer loudly and pick up her best friend in a death hug.

Even though Ike wouldn't tell anybody, he knew he wouldn't just be running into a random thug at that parking garage. It was too much like Wessel to be in a place like that. No, the teen knew exactly what he was walking into.

And he was ready to revenge.

* * *

**Well I'm keeping this short today. I'm taking a short break, because I have a concussion, so I'll be back when I'm back. I hope everyone has a pleasant time while I'm away. Bye!**


	16. Chapter 16: First Strike

**I'm back! Did ya miss me? I'm sure you did. Anyways, it's nice to get back to writing, what a chapter to get back to with. Things are really starting to kick off now. I won't keep you waiting though, so enjoy!**

* * *

Today was on of the most important days in Ike's life. The day he would destroy the man who killed his last family member. The day he would be one step closer to no longer being a hazard to his friend's health. The day that would change his future.

"Alright, planning time." Ike said standing in front of a white board. The rest of team RWJNPRBY plus Ike sat on their beds before him. "As we know, Wessel is somewhere in a parking structure by the docks." He then turned to the whiteboard, marker in hand, and drew a poorly made sketch of a parking structure. "Therefore, it'll be heavily guarded. The plan is to make a distraction with a team of five from the bottom." He then drew five stick figures at the bottom of the building. "This will be team G, which consists of Yang, Weiss, Pyrrha, Nora, and myself." He then wrote team G off to the side with each of their names next to it.

"Alright, what about the rest of us?" Blake asked.

"You three," He gestured towards Jaune, Blake, and Ren," Will be team A. You'll move from the top down as silently and quickly as you can, while we make a bunch of noise from below." Blue then drew three stick figures on top of the building and team A along with the member's names on the side. "Finally, Ruby you'll be posted up on a nearby building providing sniper support for anyone who needs it." Lastly, he drew a stick figure labeled Ruby on top of a second building. "Jaune will be leading team A, while I'll lead team G. Any questions?" Jaune raised his hand.

"Ya, why am I team A's leader?"

"Ozpin thought you'd be a good leader, so why should I question his judgment? Any others?"

"What happens if we need backup?" Wiess asked.

"I've already made that arrangement. Ozpin will have teams of hunters at the ready, but only if given the signal will the attack. Like I said this isn't their fight."

"What's the signal?" Pyrrha asked.

"You shoot one of these flares." He then handed blue flares along with flare guns to all of them.

"Why blue?" Asked Yang.

"None of our weapons or semblances will make a blue explosion. Anything else?" This time nobody responded. "Good, I'll tell Ozpin to get the bullheads ready." With that Ike sent a message to the headmaster, and the group cleared out the room. Weapons in hand.

The nine students piled into the plane, everyone somewhat nervous. With Ozpin's and Glynda Goodwitch's best wishes the plane took off, and Jaune instantly ran for a trashcan.

Eventually the dust machine touched back down, and the piolet called back at them. "End of the line kids! Good luck!" The nine students left the plane, and it took off once more heading towards Beacon. As soon as Jaune was finished emptying his stomach they began walking towards the soon to be combat zone. Eventually, they were a few hundred meters away from a parking structure with people loading boxes into trucks.

"This is the place." Said Ike. "Everyone ready?" The rest of the fire team nodded in response. "Good, Ruby this is your post you ready to go?"

"Sure am." Ike picked up the girl in a bridal carry, and launched himself into the air. The pair landed on the building, and Blue set his girlfriend down. "Please, be safe down there."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Just don't shoot to kill." He then gave her a quick kiss, and jumped back down. "Now then, team G we're going to move from cover to cover, until we're close enough to just rush them. Team A, you stay here until we attack. Then I want to all to move around to the backside of the building and make your way up. I don't care how, just don't be too loud."

"Got it." They said in unascend.

**-Team G-**

"Good, remember don't aim to kill, and watch each other's backs." Ike then slipped from around the corner of the building and crouched behind a parked car. This pattern continued between cars, cement blockades, and other building, until he was sitting behind a block of concrete only a few meters away from a pair of armed guards. They wore bullet proof vests and other protective gear, but it was obvious these men weren't from any type of legal fighting force. Inside he could see plenty of other enemies who were all armed, and wore the same uniform the pair outside did. Yang slid up next to the boy, startling him a bit.

"I guess you never said this would be easy, did ya?" She asked.

"Sure didn't. Didn't want to give up false hope."

"Which you didn't. There's no point in sitting around wasting time though." The brawler then hopped over her cover and charged at the men, letting out a war cry as she did. Yellow slammed one of her fists into the first guard, as Ike threw his elbow into the second. Then all hell broke loose. Nora rushed forward and smashed the ground, throwing plenty of men Pyrrha's way, which she batted away with her shield. Weiss was the last to arrive, and froze a few men solid with the help of her rapier.

**-Team A-**

The trio waited until they saw Yang break a guard's jaw, when they began to make their way around. They reached the back to the parking garage as they heard the sounds of gunfire and pain from the other side. "Anyone have a plan on how to get up there?" Jaune asked as he looked up at the massive building.

"Isn't that your job?" Blake asked.

"I was just looking for suggestions."

"What about if we throw each other up there?" Ren asked.

"Then how does the last person get up?" Jaune asked.

"Good point." His magenta eyed friend commented.

"Wait, Blake you sword has that stretchy thingy on it right?" Jaune asked hopeful.

"If you're talking about the elastic ribbon, then yes is has a stretchy thingy." She answered boredly.

"Then we can use that! Once we have two people up, the last person can be pulled up by that!" Jaune had a good idea, only the first stage of two people going up didn't go as he had planned. Within a few moments Blake and Ren reconstructed the Ruby slingshot team Ruby had made during initiation. And Jaune was loaded into it. "You know guys, someone else can always go first." The knight said has he was slowly pulled back by Black

"Nope." The silent pair responded quickly.

"You ready Jaune?" The hidden Faunus asked.

"No."

"Good." She then released her grip on Jaune, and sent him flying towards the building. Screaming much like initiation. "Alright Ren, throw me up there." She said as she retrieved her weapon.

"You mean with the slingshot?" He asked.

"No, just pick me up and toss me."

"If we could do that, then why didn't we do it with Jaune?"

"This was more fun." The Eastern boy picked up the black haired girl and threw her up into the air. Blake shadowed her way up the building, pushing off the ledges of the different floors for more momentum. After a few moments of her being up at the top her weapon reappeared at Ren's feet, with the ribbon giving him a way to climb up.

**-Back to Team G!-**

Ike threw the flat of hit blade into the stomach of another one of the seemingly infinite enemies. As the man doubled over he kicked, the archer kicked his foe away from him. He was trying to find out where all of them were coming from, but couldn't break through the hoard alone. As he batted away another man he called out to Yang. "Yang!"

"Ya?" She yelled back as she delivered another right hook to a man's head, which sent him flying into a pack of their enemies.

"Follow me! We're going to get to the other side of this floor!" Blue then shoulder checked a criminal and began his charge, which Yang close behind. Ruby unleashed a hail of bullets, none aimed to kill, but still incapacitating plenty. Team Storm **(That would be Ike and Yang, just so you know. It's team Storm cause lightning is yellow while rain is blue.) **cleared through people like a pair of bulls. Ike tackled a man as he ran, and rolled off not losing a bit of momentum. Yang was close behind as she threw a left hook into a foe as he got too close to the pair. She then spun along with her momentum, and connected a spinning kick with her right foot into another enemy.

Yellow keep sprinting to keep pace with Ike. Blue pulled out his bow, and turned around unleashing a barrage of blunt arrows into the foes behind the two. Yang sprinted past him, and the boy turned back around and continued his run. Pyrrha seemed to be in the middle of the battle as she threw her shield into one of the guards. Yang dove over the shield on its return trip. As the Spartan caught it she heard Ike yell, "Head's up!" She locked her shield in place over her head, as Blue planted his hand's onto it, and vaulted over it. "Thanks!" He called back. Team storm continued their charge, as another wave of guards appeared to their left.

"Good thing Ozpin gave me these." The archer thought as he notched a volatile lightning arrow. He fired at the enormous group's feet, and electricity sparked around them. As the men collapsed, paralyzed, Ike say something that caught his eye. An elevator. "They're keep coming from below." He thought. He then turned on his earpiece, and contacted Ruby.

"I need you down here now."

"Why?" she asked.

"You're taking over team G. There's a basement to this place, so I'm taking Yang and Pyrrha down there."

"Got it, I'm on my way."

Ike then yelled at Yang, telling her they were returning to the rest of team G. She followed him, as they cut down even more foes along the way back. One particularly fast group began to catch up, forcing the pair to stop and begin fighting again. Blue changed back to his blades, and charged into the group. He slid and they his elbow into the first man's head. He then threw his arms out to the sides, and connected the flats of his blades into two men's heads. Nora then arrived, and slammed her hammer into the ground once more, which sent the three of them one way, and the guards another. Ike rolled as he landed, and Yang and Nora followed suit.

Ruby then arrived at the entrance, and joined the other five as Blue called out never orders. "Yang, Pyrrha!" The boy reconnected his weapons and made his bow. "You two are going into the basement along with me. That's where all of these men keep coming from." He then launched an ice arrow, which made a small wall. That gave then a bit of time to get organized. "The rest of you will try to push upwards with Ruby leading you." The ice wall finally gave way, and more men rushed forwards.

"What about if something goes wrong down there?" Ruby asked she fought back resistance. "We won't be able to see the flare, and the coms won't work underground."

"That's a chance we'll have to take." He said as he delivered a round house kick. "Someone, shoot off a flare, and get half of the hunters to follow us down! Pyrrha and Yang, let's go!" He then rushed towards the elevator with his two companions close behind, as they all hurdled over the unconscious bodies of their foes. Ike could see a bright blue light flash from behind him.

**-Team A Again-**

Jaune's screaming didn't go unnoticed as he flew towards the building. "You hear that?" One guard asked another.

"Probably just some stupid kid down below." Guard number two answered. That's when the clumsy knight landed in between the two. The men instantly aimed their weapons at the teen, but then Blake landed on their heads, knocking them out cold. Unfortunately for the two, the less than silent entrance caught the attention of around ten more armed men.

"That was a horrible plan." Jaune said as he unsheathed his sword.

"We're up here aren't we?" Blake said. She then rushed into the men and kicked the first guard's chest. She back flipped as she did so, and shadowed towards the next man. Jaune sprinted forward and used the distraction Blake was making to slam his shield into another foe. He then slashed horizontally at another, who earned a small cut from is blade. The blonde followed this up by smashing the flat of his sword down onto the same man's head.

A third enemy was about to hit Jaune in the back of his head with the butt of a gun, but the weapon was soon ripped from his hands. Black's ribbon to her weapon wrapped around the gun, as she yanked it towards her. The rifle fly past her head, and slammed into another man's. Jaune capitalized on this moment, and punched the unarmed guard in the jaw. The Faunus then spun the weapon around her, and proceeded to knock out the remaining enemies.

"You know, you could've left me more than three." Jaune mumbled.

"I could've, but I didn't." Blake responded as she made a bridge for Ren to climb up. Soon the magenta eyed boy climbed onto the roof, and gave a sigh of relief.

"What'd I miss?" He asked.

"Nothing much, we just have ten less guys to worry about." Jaune responded calmly.

"So I can see, so now what?"

"We start making our way down, until we meet up with team G." The leader replied. The trio then proceeded to cautiously work their way down the many floors, taking out enemies as then went as silently as possible. Luckily, the explosions from below them didn't make it that difficult. They eventually made their way down to the third floor, with no sight of the target or team G. "Where's everyone else?" Jaune whispered. Another explosion from below them answered that question though.

"I'm going to say below us." Ren answered.

"Why are they still down there? Shouldn't they have gotten up at least one floor by now?" The blonde asked.

"He has a point, I doubt they'd be dumb enough to put their boss at the easiest place to get." The girl responded.

"Let's go down, and see what's happening then." Jaune said, as he ran down to the second floor. Fortunately, there wasn't a soul on that floor. Team A then began to walk down to the bottom floor, until they were stopped by a bright blue flash. "That can't be good." The knight said, but his two teammates were already charging into the fray.

**-Basement Team-**

The three students stood in the elevator listening to the inner mechanisms work. There was no indication to how far they were, or how close to the bottom they were. Pyrrha finally broke the silence. "So do you have any idea what we're walking into?" She asked.

"Not really." Ike admitted. "I expect Wessel to be down here, which means a lot of guards."

"More or less than the ones above us?" Yang asked.

"Could be either. Just be ready to fight as soon as those doors open." Blue said. After another moment of silence the elevator began to slow.

"Well, overwhelming odds with little to no chance of survival… sounds like our kind of fight." The brawler said as her gauntlets whirled to life. The Spartan readied her shield in front of her, and the blue haired boy closed his eyes and let out a slow stream of breath. The bell chimed and the doors opened.

"Did you finally get rid of those pests?" The man downstairs asked as he turned around. He was wearing the same suit as the night that was burned into Ike's head. Only this time he was showcasing his real weapon. He had a large steel club hefted over his right shoulder. The end of the club had a bear's head, with the mouth open displaying an array of teeth. Inside the mouth was the end of a gun's barrel, which was probably for a very heavy rifle. As he saw the three teens his slightly angered tone, became mixed with fear and rage.

"I wouldn't say that." Ike said calmly.

"Don't just stand there you morons! Kill them!" Dozens of men began to charge at the trio.

"You too take care of these guys. I'm going for the head of the snake." Blue then rushed towards the small army of men. He leaped into the air, and landed on the back of one of the men. He then pushed off his back, and launched himself at the person he hated the most in the world. Ike went to crush his face with his feet, but he was blocked by the club. Blue then kicked off the club, and sent it into the man's chest. The two combatants slid backwards, and dust kicked up below their feet.

"I was kind of hoping for a rematch." Wessel said with a smile.

"Oh don't worry, I've been waiting for this for a long time." Ike said as he rushed his foe. A barrage of bullets were sent flying his way. The teen first dodged to the right, then he dodged to the left. Ike began circling around the side of his opponent, and then sprinted towards then man in the suit. As more bullets were sent flying towards him, the archer slid on his back letting the projectiles sail over his head. He then brought himself back to his feet, and launched into the air. Wessel tried to follow the teen's movements, but he lost him in the light. He then began to look around to try to find his enemy but couldn't. He then heard a small sound behind him, but before he could turn Ike whispered, "Boo," into his ear. The boy then spun the flat of his blade into the man's head, and sent him flying into a wall. Blue, thinking the fight was over, began walking over to the hole in the wall, but then Wessel sprinted out of it.

The older man reached the teenager, and swung his weapon into the boy's stomach. Ike went spiraling off, and landed into a group of armed men Yang was fighting. "Ike?! Are you okay?"

Ike pushed himself to his hands and knees. He then coughed and spat up a bit of blood. "Ya I'll be fine." He responded. Yang blasted away another man, and helped him to his feet. Ike's gaze continued to be locked onto the floor though. He then wiped away a small trail of blood from his mouth.

"Ike you need to take a break. Let me take him on I'm sure I can…" But Blue interrupted her.

"No."

"What?"

"No." He repeated, and looked up at his brother's murderer, with a combination of malice and passion. "This is my fight, and he won't win." Ike then charged forward again, bow in hand. Right before he got to Wessel, he jumped into the air. Wessel swung at him before he jumped, but only hit air. He wasn't falling for the same trick again though, and quickly turned around. He saw Ike push off a wall, and fly over his head.

The criminal unleashed a barrage of bullets at the boy, but his simply dodged them with a side flip. As he landed he jumped again, and caught a support beam with his hand. He spun around it, and jumped from the side of it as the bullets reached the beam. He flew through the air, and caught onto the crosswalk above. He grabbed onto bottom of it and flipped his way to the top. He paused of a moment, almost as if to taunt his foe. Wessel used this time to reload his weapon and take aim once more. As he fired again the archer jumped from the crosswalk, back to a support beam. He spun around once more, before firing himself towards the ground.

He rolled upon landing, and flipped over the bullets heading towards him. He slide and when he heard the click of Wessel's gun, he broke out into a dead sprint. As the man reloaded he fired an arrow into his shoulder, which caused him to fumble his new clip. He then got closer, and kicked the criminal in the chest. The man with the club slammed into the ground, but Ike wasn't far from him. Wessel finally finished reloading, and Ike switched his weapon back to Nero and Ichor.

The suited man fired another grouping of bullets, one of which hit Ike during his charge. As the next group of bullets approached time began to slow for Ike. He had a better plan than dodging. He heard the wave of Hunters reach the basement, and begin incapacitating enemies.

As the first bullet arrived, Ike slashed Nero upwards, deflecting the bullet. The next arrived, and the slashed Ichor downwards, deflecting that one as well. He then flipped in the air dodging the third, and cutting the forth in half with Ichor. He landed, but pressed onwards as he slashed his way through bullet after bullet. One final bullet reached the student, as he slashed Nero sideways, destroying it. Wessel then charged at Ike, and swung his club at the teen. Blue crossed his swords in front of him as the weapons collided.

Mers slid back several yards, giving the man in the suit time to change his strategy. He turned his club towards Pyrrha, who was busy fighting henchmen. "Pyrrha! Shield up!" The Spartan turn just in time to see a group of bullets being fired. The first one reached her, and hit her shoulder. The red head raised her shield to defend herself, but more guards were approaching. Ike sprinted over and shoulder checked one of the men about to fire at her.

"Follow me!" He called out. Pyrrha was still pinned behind her shield though. Ike stood in front of her as the next grouping arrived. The boy spun his blades around deflecting the bullets coming in. Pyrrha peaked over her shield to see what was happening. One of the bullets began to fly her way, but Ike slashed it down as it got to him. The man began to reload, but way too slow as Ike changed back to Aeolus. "Now rush him!" Ike ordered. Pyrrha stood up and began to charge forward with Akouo in front of her. As she reached the man, he swung at her sending her skidding her backwards.

The archer behind her dove over the shielded warrior and fired an arrow while he was over her. The air born teen released an arrow, which flew straight into the man's right leg, sticking in it. The man dropped to one knee, and Ike propelled himself forward. The student tackled the man, and stabbed an arrow into his left thigh. Pyrrha then turned her attention back to the remaining guards.

Ike slid to a stop, with one foot one the ground and the other on Wessel's chest. He looked around to see Pyrrha throw the hilt of her blade into the last of the armed men. Yang then walked up with the leader of the hunter team next to her. He looked somewhat older, and it was obvious he had seen better days. The archer's death stare never left the man on the floor though. "That's all of them. What's the new orders?" Yellow asked.

"Secure the search for anyone able to fight still." He answered.

"But there's not a single one." She argued.

"Just. Do. It." The teen responded darkly. Yang and the Hunter gave each other a short look and then left. "Now I'm sure you have some information for me."

"I don't know what you're talking about kid." Wessel said.

"Don't lie to me!" Ike then drew back another arrow and fired it into the man's right arm. "Now unless you want a hole in the left you'll talk!"

"I told ya I don't have anything."

"Wrong choice." The arched then pulled back another arrow and fired it into the left arm. Wessel yelled out in pain, which didn't go unnoticed by the Hunters, but they decided it would be best to stay away. "I got more arrows if you want to keep going."

"No, no." The pinned criminal said breathing heavily. "I've updated my security ever since you attacked."

"I know that!" Ike roared as he twisted the arrow in the man's left arm. This caused him to yell out in pain once more. "What do you know about the organization I used to work in?!"

"Not much." Ike drew back another arrow, but the man stopped him. "No I do know something."

"Then talk." The boy said with the arrow still notched.

"I've got a man on the inside. I can tell him to start helping you. He might know where someone important is."

"That's what I've been waiting to hear." Ike said as he lowered his bow.

"Just take my scroll, and send him a message telling him to do whatever you want." Wessel pleaded. Mers grabbed the device from the man's suit pocket.

"What's him name?"

"Jones." Ike searched through the names until he found Jones. He then typed out a short message.

It read, 'Your boss is going to have you work for me. Meet me at the old HQ in two days. The one that was attacked and burnt down. Be there at 9:00 pm.' A response was sent with a simple 'Okay.'

"I appreciate the cooperation." Ike said as he stepped off the man's chest.

"So are you guys going to leave now?" The pinned man asked.

"No." Ike replied as he pulled out Blue Ruhe and took aim at the man.

"No, you have what you want. Just let me go. I'll leave this life of crime." The man pleaded.

"You killed my brother!" Ike yelled. "It's time to put that part of my life to rest."

"You little punk! You have what you want! I can change."

"I don't care." The teen with the gun said. He then fired a single bullet into his head. This drew the attention of everyone in the room as they saw the teen which a smoking gun in his hand. "Yang! Pyrrha!" He called out. "We're leaving!" The two girls soon appeared next to him, both of them worried about the dark look on Ike face.

"Are you okay?" Pyrrha asked.

"Never better." The boy responded before getting into the elevator. The ride up was completely silent, as was the blue clad boy as he reached the ground floor.

"Thank Monty you're okay." Ruby said as she saw her boyfriend. She then saw the look on his face. "Ike? Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened." He replied coldly. "Let's just get back to Beacon." He then walked out of the parking garage leaving the rest of them inside.

* * *

**Well that got dark didn't it? I'll address this issue next time though. Anyways, I would like to thank everyone for their best wishes during my leave due to my concussion. For those of you who were curious I got hit in the face with a soccer ball during a game. The defender was trying to clear the ball, and got me in the noggin. I'm all good now though. Right now I'm thinking about quiting my job, becasue it sucks, but that's still up in the air right now. I'm still accepting ideas for Eisenhower, but I really just need appearance now. I have an idea in my head, but yet again its not too great. Anyways, don't forget to leave a review and pm me, because I love getting feedback for you guys. I hope you all have a wonderful day and stay awesome!**


	17. Chapter 17: Not Quite Midnight

**Well guys I'm sorry for how long this has taken, but I've been really busy plus I had some major writers block. That's also why this chapter is the shortest to date, so sorry for that. I was hoping it'd be longer, but it wasn't. Unfortunately, this is about how fast these will be posted which sucks. Also, Destiny came out today so I'll be on that. Maybe I'll see a few of you guys there. Anyways, news in my life: I quit my job because it sucked. So, yay! More time for writing now. This is by far the most difficult chapter to write for me, because... well you'll see. Enjoy!**

* * *

"He did what!?"

"I think he killed a man." Yang said to her very upset sister. Ike himself was currently out doing some training. He said that he needed some alone time to think.

"Can you blame him though?" Ren asked.

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked.

"Well the guy did kill his brother." Jaune answered.

"But does that really justify him just killing someone?" Blake asked.

"Depends on who you ask." Weiss retorted.

"He seemed different, almost like he wasn't there." The Spartan said.

"Ya, it was like he wasn't himself." Yellow added.

"Well, someone needs to talk to him, because a depressed Ike is a no good Ike." Nora said bouncing up and down on her bed.

"I'll go do it." Ruby said as she grabbed her cloak and began to leave the room, with everyone saying their good lucks.

**-Training Room-**

Ike spun on his right heel, and sliced off the head of another training robot. He then charged at the next one, and stabbed into its chest. As he rolled over it he pulled out Blue Ruhe, and shot into the heads of three more. "Training complete." The computer said from above him.

"Run next test." The students commanded.

"Commencing next test. Please remove any weapons." The teen walked over to the bench, and placed his weapons down. "Beginning speed test." Two rows of ten hexagonal targets appeared around him, and slowly spun in a circle. "Test begins in 3." Ike let out a long slow breath. "2," He then got into a boxer stance similar to Yang's. "1," The boy began to bounce on the balls of his feet. A buzzer then sounded signaling the start of the test.

He gave a left jab to the first target, and followed that with a strong right hook. Blue then spun a kicked a target behind him. Staying on his left foot, the student rapidly kicked five more targets. After that, he unleashed a barrage of punches taking out four more. The unarmed boy did a quick side flip and took out two more. Following this, he did a round house kick that took out another target. Ike only had a five more left, but they were in opposite sides. He let out another right hook, hitting another target. Ike let his momentum carry him as he spun and hit another hexagon. Blue then jumped and kicked the third target, and as he landed he spun and kicked the second to last one. He finished off the training session with a back flip, which allowed his foot to hit the last target.

Ike put his hands on his knees, and leaned over a bit breathing rather hard. "Training complete, please retrieve your weapons before running the next test." The teen walked back over, and grabbed his blades once more. "Run next test." He ordered.

"Commencing next test. Beginning precision test." Ike then changed back to his bow. An orange man appeared in front of him. The computer generated man was wielding a sword in its right hand. "Test begins in 3, 2, 1."

"Abort test." A voice ordered from behind the bow.

"Aborting test." The computer said, as the orange man collapsed, and disappeared.

"I thought I said I needed alone time." Ike said as he put away his bow.

"I know you did, but you've seen what running away from your problems has done." Ruby said as she walked up to him.

"This is different though."

"How?"

"What do you mean how?" He asked getting slightly agitated.

"How is this any different from last time? You killed people and then pretend that it never happened." Red said, as she was getting visibly upset.

"It different, because this time I'm tying up loose ends! Do you really think he would've changed? That he would become a better person?" Ike yelled.

"He might've if you'd giving him a…" She was then cut off by her boyfriend

"A second chance!? Ruby, he killed my brother, and he deserves a second chance? He had a second chance when I didn't hunt him down like the animal he is the first time!"

"People can change though." Ruby said looking a bit crushed.

"People can! He couldn't! Think about this. What if someone killed Yang? What would you do?" There was no response. Ruby only bowed her head down slightly. "Well? You would want them dead right? Wiped off the face of Remnant? Well that's how I felt! I simply went through with it." Ike was breathing pretty heavily at this point, due to the yelling he had done. In front of him stood his girlfriend with her head still down. That's when Ike realized what he'd truly just done. He lost it completely, and it was hurting the people he cared for the most. He was allowing Vesh to take over. "Ruby, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…" She didn't want to hear any of it though.

"You didn't mean what!?" She yelled as she looked back up at him. Tears flowing from her eyes. "You didn't mean to yell at me!? To make me feel horrible when I'm only trying to help!?"

"Look I just…" She cut him off again though.

"You know what?! Just forget it. I'll just leave you alone." She then turned away from him and walked out of the training hall. Still crying.

Blue stood in the room alone. Saying nothing. Only a dumb look on his face. "I just lost control." He said quietly to himself. The teen then dropped to his knees and looked down at himself. "Is this what I am? A person only seeking revenge? Or is this just Vesh taking over?" He sat there for a long time saying nothing. Just frozen in time. Contemplating why he did what he did. He didn't know if he felt bad about what he did anymore. He thought that people like that didn't deserve a second chance, but was he any different? He was basically in the same criminal boat. Only he was given a second chance. Not only that, but he completely lost it yelling at Ruby. Was he losing his sanity? What was happening to him? That's when his thought process was destroyed by a very angry Yang Xiao Long.

"Your dead now lover boy!" She roared as her weapons whirled to life. She then picked the boy up, and launched him into the concrete wall. Ike didn't retaliate. He simply sat there and accepted it. She then picked him up and raised her right fist. "Got anything to say for yourself?" She asked. Ike raised his head, and looked her in her fiery red eyes.

"Not really. I've screwed up, now just beat my face in." Ike said with a dead look in his eyes. This caught Yang off guard, and her eyes flickered back to lilac, but returned to fiery red.

"What's that meant to mean?"

"It means I understand that I've made mistakes. We all have. You as well. So you can either let me down and I'll explain myself, or you can pummel me right now and we'll talk whenever I wake up from the hospital. I'll just say it was a training accident, so do what you want to."

"You tell me when I've done anything this horrible to Ruby?" Yang asked with a bit of fire leaving her.

"What about when you went to look for your mom?"

This completely surprised Yang. "How do you know about that?"

"I talked to your dad. Did you honestly think that I wouldn't talk to the person who takes care of my girlfriend? It was a simple story that he reflected back on. He told me, "Yang is extremely defensive of that girl, but she's made mistakes with her as well. I remember when..." then he went on about how Yang had taken her younger sister into the woods and they were almost killed."

Yang released her grip, and let the teen stand on his own two feet. "You better start talking."

"Yes I did kill that man and I did lose my cool when talking to Ruby, but I want you to think about this. What if that'd been Ruby that was killed? How would you react? Probably like I did, right?"

"I don't care about that. I don't blame you for caving in that guy's face, frankly I would've too. I'm mad that you yelled at Ruby. So care to explain about that part?"

"I just lost it with her. I don't quite know what's been happening, but something's wrong." Yang's eyes began to flare red once more.

"That's your explanation!?" She roared "Something just been wrong!?"

Ike let out a long breath. He knew he had to tell the truth. "If I tell you this you cannot, under any circumstances, tell anyone else. Deal?"

"Deal."

"It's just that…" He paused for a moment looking for the correct words. "I don't think I'm in control of myself anymore."

"What? Are you falling apart because of an instinct or something?" She asked.

"No, I think there like another me inside my head. It's the evil part of me and it's named itself Vesh."

"So how does this connect to Ruby?" The blonde asked.

"Because when I yelled at her, I don't think it was me." Ike admitted with his head low.

"You're telling me that another you is taking control of you?"

"Exactly."

"So pretty much you won't be you for long?"

"I don't know." He said still looking downcast. "If I can fight it then I'll stay me, but if I can't…" He ended there.

"If you can't what?" Yellow asked.

"I don't know." Blue admitted. "Anything can happen. So with you knowing this, I need you to do something."

"What?"

"If I start to act differently. Stop me."

"What?!"

"I don't want to hurt anyone, so you have to stop me at all costs. No matter what that may mean." Ike said.

"Ike, I… I… I can't do that." Ike walked over to the girl and put his hand on her shoulder.

"You have to. You're the only one who's strong enough to do it."

"What about Ozpin? Or Glynda?"

"Neither one will harm a student. They wouldn't be able to live with themselves."

"And I could!?" Tears began to form in her eyes at this point.

"You'd be doing it for Ruby. That's why you'd be able to do it."

Yang didn't say anything for a moment, then said. "Fine, fine. But you have to fight that thing as hard as you can. For everyone. We need you." Yellow said with her voice cracking slightly.

"I will." He then wrapped her in a hug, which lasted for a while. Tears flowed from Yang's eyes, and Ike simply comforted her till she stopped. Eventually she stopped and wiped the last tear from her eye. "Now I need you to go make sure I'm not going to get killed when I walk into the room. Okay?" The girl simply nodded her head. "Thanks." He then hugged her once more, before she left.

He simply sat in the training room, contemplating what his next move would be, but he didn't have any ideas by the time Yang sent her message. He walked down the hallways to the room, very slowly. Still no clue what to say. Eventually he reached the door. He unlocked it and sighed. He turned the handle, and pushed open the door. Nobody looked very happy though. Ike just stood in the doorway silent, as Ruby walked up to him. "Ruby I'm so…" He was cut off though by the girl slapping him. Hard.

"Don't even do that again. Got it?" She said in a commanding voice.

"Yes, I know I screwed up and I'm really so…" He still couldn't get that last word out, as Ruby hugged him.

"Good, I was so worried about you."

"Don't worry I'm fine now. I'm sorry." He said as he kissed the top of her head.

"I know." His girlfriend said with her face buried in his chest. The two stood there for a few more moments, until Ike broke the silence.

"What did Yang say?" He asked.

"Just that you had your reasons for everything that's happened." Red replied.

"Good." He responded.

"What are they?" She asked, as she pulled away and looked into his eyes.

"I can't say right now, but as soon as they're solved I will."

"Alright." Ruby said, not wanting to argue anymore. She was just happy that day was almost over. She was then pulled into another hug.

"I hate to break up the lover's fest, but I think we deserve an explanation too." Pyrrha said.

The couple broke apart once more, and Ike began to explain himself.

"Look, Wessel killed my brother. I understand that many of you may disagree with my decision, but I don't think a person like that should have the pleasure of life anymore. Even though people can change, I know he couldn't. I'll answer any questions you have tomorrow, but for now I need sleep." Everyone simple nodded, understanding that he had had a long enough day as is. Nobody wanted to make it worse. He very simple walked over to his bed, and flopped into it. Ready to take another step towards putting his past behind him.

He simply wondered if his future would prevent him.

* * *

**Wow that was horrible wasn't it? I think it was well wrote, but it just hurts me writing that. Anyways, there not much more news. Expect a big fight scene next chapter. Don't forget to drop a review or send a pm, cause I love you all very much. Until next time!**


	18. Chapter 18: In the Right Direction

**Hey guys! Sorry this one took so long to put out, but its here now. My last day of work is tomorrow, so that'll be nice. Anyways, I won't keep you guys wanting any longer. Enjoy :D**

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Ike was standing in the middle of town no clue what to do. The sun was starting to set, and he could barely see the two figures standing in front of him. He rapidly looked from one person to the other, not knowing which one to attack. He pushed aura into his eyes, but both people turned up blue. The issue was one of them was Eisenhower, and the other was Ruby. Both looked like his girlfriend though.

**-Early That Day-**

"Are you confident that this man's information can be trusted?" The headmaster asked.

"I'm positive." Ike replied. "There's no reason he should lie to me."

"What about that fact you killed the man he works for?"

"He doesn't know that happened yet."

"Very well." The older man said. "You may leave campus on your mission. Go ahead and take whomever you may need."

"And what about when we find out where Eisenhower is?" The archer asked.

"What about it?" Ozpin asked being as secretive as ever.

"Can we proceed to attack him as we wish?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean?" The student asked.

"I mean that last time you went into a combat mission you had to use Hunter back up. Perhaps this is better left to the professionals."

"With all due respect sir, you're crazy if I'm letting anyone else fight him."

"And how do you intend to convince me to let you fight him?" The headmaster asked.

"I simply won't tell you where he is and go anyways." Ike said with a smirk.

Ozpin sighed and said, "Alright, you may all go on that mission as well."

"Thank you sir." Blue replied, as he stood up.

"You are quite welcome. Though be careful the next time you have to attack someone. You won't have backup this time." Ozpin warned.

"Understood, sir. Thank you again." Ike then opened the door, and walked out of the office. Glynda then pushed open the door, and walked into the room.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to let them go on these dangerous missions?" She asked.

"Can we be certain of anything these days?" The headmaster replied.

The woman sighed at this blunt answer. "I suppose not."

**-Later-**

"We got clearance!" Ike announced as he opened the door to his shared room. Every cheered at hearing the good news. Well, all expect Ren who gave a rather sarcastic sounding 'Yay!'

"So, when do we head out?" Yang asked.

"Well for now, I'll just be going to get the info."

"So are we going to?" Asked Nora.

"Ya, I've been needing to pick up some things from Vale anyways," Jaune added.

"No, I'll be going alone." Blue said.

"No you're not." Ruby retorted.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Ike replied.

"What about if someone attacks you on the way, or there's an ambush, or…" She was quieted by Ike putting his finger over her lips though.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine. Plus the guy will be less nervous if there's fewer people. I'll get more info from him." Ruby crossed her arms and made her signature pouty face, but her boyfriend only laughed. "That still doesn't work." He said as he gathered his weapons.

"How long do you think you'll be out?" Jaune asked.

"Probably only a few hours." He replied as he checked the clip on Blue Ruhe.

"And if you're not back by then?" Weiss asked.

"Go looking for me." He said more cheerfully than he probably should have. "Well, I'm leaving. Bye guys." He gave a quick kiss to Ruby, who was still making her pouty face and left as everyone said their goodbyes.

"I hope we finally get to destroy that organization soon." Jaune said hopefully.

"Yes, it'll be nice to see a worry free Ike." Pyrrha added.

"Also, we won't be as busy anymore." Yang stated.

"That'd be nice. I know we agreed to help Ike, but this is really wearing me out." Weiss said as she began to file down her nails.

Ruby then picked up Crescent Rose and began to put on her cloak. "Where are you going?" Yang asked.

"I'm going to go follow Ike." She replied calmly.

"I think he wants to do this alone." Pyrrha said.

"Ya, he did have a good point about the guy being less scared with just one other person." Jaune added.

"I know he does, but I'm not letting him. What happens if he gets shot again?" Nobody replied. "Exactly, now if anyone wants to come alone they're welcome to, but you better hurry up." At hearing this everyone began to gather their combat gear. "Good, but we have to be silent."

"How are we going to get into town though?" Ren asked.

"The ship! Duh, Ren. Did you forget we have that giant flying thing?" Nora said to her friend.

"But he'll see us." The magenta haired boy said.

"Oh ya." Nora said deadpanning.

"I have an idea!" Yang sang as she ran over to her closet. "Here, everyone put these on." She then threw a trench coat, a hat, and a pair of sunglasses at everyone.

"A coat?" Ruby asked.

"A hat?" Weiss added.

"Glasses!" Nora finished.

"Trust me they'll work." Yang said proudly.

Ike had just sat down on the ship heading into Vale when a group of rather strange looking students got on. He didn't recognize any of them and decided to leave it be for the time being. During the ride though one of the people lost their lunch a lot like Jaune would've, while another cared for him in a way that reminded Ike of Pyrrha. Also he could see hair that looked like Yang's on another. There was also a girl sitting in a corner filing down her nails in a way that looked oddly similar to Weiss. "They're following me aren't they?" He thought to himself. I'll just have to lose them.

The ship eventually landed and Blue stepped out. He immediately began walking down the streets. He didn't even have to try to lose them as he heard the group arguing with each other. "They're horrible at this." He said to himself as he turned the corner.

**-Stalkers Point of View-**

As Ike stepped out of the ship Jaune soon followed and collapsed onto the ground. "I told you these disguises would work." Yang said proudly.

"These are the worst disguises ever!" Weiss yelled. "They're only trench coats, hats, and sunglasses!"

"But they worked." Yang said, knowing she'd just won the argument.

"Whatever." The heiress grumbled.

"I feel like my insides are on fire!" Jaune complained huddled over the trashcan with Pyrrha rubbing small circles in his back.

"Just let it out Jaune." She said.

"Yang, where do you get this stuff?" Blake asked.

"And where've you been keeping it." Nora said holding her nose closed. "These things stink!"

"To answer your question Blake, online. As for you Nora, my gym locker."

"That explains a lot." Ren said stoically.

"Hey guys, where'd Ike go?" Jaune asked looking up from the ground. Everyone quickly searched around them, and found that the blue haired student was nowhere to be found.

"Great." Ren said face palming.

"Quickly, everyone spread out!" Ruby announced before taking off down the street.

"Is she always that impulsive?" Blake asked.

"Unfortunately." Weiss grumbled again as she walked off from the group.

**-Back to Ike-**

"Finally here." The archer thought to himself as he stood before what used to be a warehouse. The building was in worse shape than before, but Ike expected that much. He was the one that burnt it down. The memories of the location pooled into his head, as he could see the rainy day. Almost as if he was reliving it. He went to push open the door, only to find it wouldn't budge. He tried the other one, but it had the same issue. Taking the impatient route, Ike simply kicked in the door and sent it flying off of its hinges.

"That's one way to make an entrance, kid." The man inside called out.

"Always like making one." Ike said with a smile.

The man laughed a bit at the comment. "Anyways, it's nice to meet you. I'm Grey." The man held out his hand for Ike to shake.

The student looked at the hand and thought to himself. "If I don't shake it and act all nice, it'll seem odd."

"Ike, nice to meet you too."

"So how do you know Wessel?" The man asked sitting on a charred crate.

"We're uhh… old acquaintances."

"How old?"

"I don't even remember, we go way back." The teen lied.

"Oh, cool. Anyways, what kind of info did you need from those guys?" Grey asked.

"I need to know where a man named Eisenhower is at."

"Oooo, going after the higher ups eh?" The man then pulled out his scroll and began typing away.

"Ya I guess you could say that."

"That's good, those guys have been a pain in our side for a while."

"I bet, they're really strong."

"Haha, ya they are." Grey joked as he continued to type. "Alright here it is. I'll go ahead and send the address to your scroll. By the way, why do you have a Beacon scroll?"

"I had a friend who went there, and he gave me it when he left." He lied.

"Don't they take those back though?" Ike sweat dropped, and realized he was cornered. He went for a right hook, but the guy blocked it. He then sweep his legs and pulled out Blue Ruhe before he could do anything. "You little…" The teen with the gun cut him off though.

"Punk? Ya, I know. Your boss is dead by the way so you might want to find a new job."

"What?!" Ike then hit him in the head with the butt of his gun, knocking him unconscious.

"Well, that went about as good as expected." Ike said to himself as he opened his scroll. "Oh, this is great." Ike said sarcastically. "There's four locations here!" His anger was soon interrupted by a flash of red bursting through the doors.

"Oh thank Monty I found you!" Ruby said catching her breath. "Who's that?" She then pointed at the knocked out Grey on the floor.

"I'll explain later, for now we have to go."

"Why?" Red asked.

"We have four possible locations on Eisenhower, and I doubt he'll stay in one place for long. I've already sent the locations to the others with instructions to split up into teams." Her boyfriend explained.

"And us?"

"We're going to the first location. Now come on, we don't have much time." Ike then closed his scroll and burst through the metal doors.

"Right behind ya!" His girlfriend said as she vanished into a cloud of rose petals.

**-Later-**

The couple stayed crouched on a tree branch as they watched Eisenhower make some kind of trade with another man. The man had long blue hair, slightly darker than Ike's. He also wore a greyish purple overcoat, which reached down to his feet. Below it he wore the same colored pants along with white boots. **(Zihark from Fire Emblem. I love those games so much.)** "Should we tell everyone else we found him?" Ruby asked.

"Ya, but make sure they stay away. I don't want anyone scaring him off." Her boyfriend whispered back.

"Alright." Ruby typed out a quick message and sent it out. "Done, so what's the plan?"

"I'm going to stay here. He'll recognize me if he sees me. I want you to go down there and overhear what you can. Avoid any sort of contact." Blue ordered.

"Got it." Red then jumped down from the branch, and began blending in with the rest of the crowd. Eventually the two men stopped talking and Eisenhower began walking away. Ruby was confused what to do at first, but Ike's frantic hand signals informed her to follow the older man. As Ike jumped from rooftop to rooftop, Ruby stayed on the ground tailing him at a distance.

Eventually he stopped once more, and Ruby dove behind a corner. The man turned around and looked behind him. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, Eisenhower continued on. Ruby decided one close call was enough, and returned to Ike's position.

"Did you hear anything?" Blue asked as they moved along.

"Not really, he was just talking about buying a bunch of different weapons."

"Anything else?" The male stalker asked.

"He did talk about upgrading his eye for some reason. What's that about?" His girlfriend responded.

"It has to do with his semblance. He can shape shift into anyone he wants. His left eye is made of metal and dust, so it scans the person's body, and copies it."

"What about the stuff he can't see?"

"It takes an educated guess. It almost never misses anything though. The issue is, it gives him the person's memories that it deems important, so asking questions about the person to decide who's who doesn't work." Ike said as he jumped over another alleyway.

"Wow, he seems really strong."

"Ya, he is. There's a reason he's a higher up. Also, his weapons match his semblance. Every weapon he touches, he can transform his weapons into them."

"So that's why he wanted all those weapons!" Ruby said happy she figured out the mystery.

"Exactly." The man on the ground then abruptly stopped, worrying the couple on the buildings. The man then called out, "You can stop following me now, and just come out." Neither Ike nor Ruby moved though. "Have it your way then." Eisenhower then let out a sharp and very loud whistle. Everything was silent for a moment, until the archer heard the sound of someone moving from above him.

"Move!" He ordered Red. She dove from their perch, and onto the ground with her boyfriend close behind. The two rolled to the ground and readied their weapons. Ruby was focused on the man they had been tailing, but Blue was turned around looking at the way they had come from. He soon saw two men land in front of him, but they didn't attack. They wore pure black leather armor. Each had a black cloak along with it with the hood pulled up. Under the hood their faces were masked. **(Nightingale Armor from Skyrim)** "Nice try on the ambush." Mers said to his former comrade.

"You know how I like to work." The older man responded.

"Cheap attacks and outnumbering your opponents?"

"Yep."

"Well the numbers aren't quite here, but I doubt that says anything about quality." Ike said, still staring at the two masked men.

"Your right in that assumption. Now, it's about time we started isn't it?" Eisenhower said as he pulled out two small cubes. He pressed a small button on the sides of both, and they whirled to life, with both forming black one-handed swords with red accents.

"I'll start with the two guys in front of me you take Eisenhower for now. We'll have to constantly switch to keep them on their toes though." Ike whispered to his girlfriend.

"Sounds good to me." She then fired behind her, launching herself at Eisenhower.

Ike's opponents both reviled their weapons. One wielded a pair of blood red daggers, while he held one in a reverse grip. The other drew a large, double bladed axe from his back. It had a silver grip, with a black metal shaft. In between the two blades was a skull.

The one with the daggers sprinted forwards and slashed at the teen, who jumped backwards and swung Nero at his head. Unfortunately the ambusher ducked under the blade. The second assassin then leap over the first's head, with his axe raised above his head. The man swung downwards, which Blue blocked by crossing his blades above his head. While the axe wielder pressed harder downwards, the first ran forward and threw one of his daggers at Ike. The Beacon student rolled out of the way and let the axe slam into the ground.

Ruby meanwhile twirled her weapon in a circle, clashing blades with Eisenhower. The man then slashed downwards at the little girl, who fired a bullet backwards to dodge. She then reloaded her weapon, and sprinted forward. She used her rifle to propel herself to supersonic speeds, and caught Eisenhower by the stomach with her scythe. With her blade still behind her, she tried to fire again, but heard only metal clash against metal. She looked behind her to see the blue haired man hiding behind a giant shield. Her blade was being blocked.

Red then turned the weapon downwards, and stuck it into the ground. Using the scythe as a pivot she launched herself into an arc, ending on the other side of the shield. Seeing this coming, Eisenhower switched from his giant shield to a smaller one along with a one handed shotgun. He blocked the flying kick, and pushed her backwards, sending her skidding towards Ike. As she slid, she yelled out, "Switch!" Ike blocked another swing from one of the daggers, and picked up Ruby. He then threw her at the axe wielder, which she spun like a bullet and connected a kick to the man's face.

Ike then switched to Aeolus and began firing. His arrows were blocked by Eisenhower however, who began to respond with his shotgun. The archer rolled out of the way and continued his charge. As he reached the man, Ike swung his bow like a club. Eisenhower deflected it with his shield, but was thrown off balance. Blue then launched himself into the air and tried to perform a heel drop. At the last second, Eisenhower brought the shield above his head, blocking the heel. He then pushed the teen away with his shield.

The man then switched his weapons into a single katana. He sliced downwards at the teen, who barely managed to roll away. Ike then rolled backwards and back onto his feet. The teen sprinted forward and jumped over a diagonal slice. The archer then landed a kick to the man's chest, launching him into a five foot hole in the ground. Ike then notched one of his volatile water arrows, and aimed at the man. Before Eisenhower could get his bearings, he was being consumed by a sea. "That should buy me at least a minute." Ike thought as he turned his attention to helping out his girlfriend.

Ruby blocked a swing of one of the men's axe with her scythe. The second man ran forward and slashed at her. Ruby attempted to doge sideways, but she still received a slash into her arm. Her aura buffered the attack, but still hurt. The second man tried capitalizing with his axe, but was stopped by a shoulder check from Ike.

Blue also began to switch back to his blades. The male teen then continued his attack by unleashing a barrage of slashes at the man with the daggers. The man continuously blocked the slashes, until his partner could return to the fight. The axe wielder blew past Ruby, and prepared for an overhead swing.

Ike summersaulted out of the way, and switched to a defensive stance as the duo stood before him. They pair was about to charge forward, but something stopped them before they could. It would be a monkey Faunus flying in with a kick. He connected the kick to the man with the daggers, who was sent into the assassin with the axe. Sun stood in front of Ike with a dumb smile on his face, and his staff at the ready. "Hey guys."

"Hey Sun, how'd you find us?"

"Kinda hard to miss a big fight around this neighborhood."

"I guess you have a point there." Ruby returned to her boyfriend's side, sniper in hand.

"Sun and I can take these two. You worry about Eisenhower." Red said.

"Good enough to me." Blue responded before turning his attention to the soaking wet man crawling over of a hole. He then walked over to the man, who had just transformed his weapon into a giant cleaver like sword. "Had enough yet?" Ike asked.

The man keep his head bowed. His hair shadowed his eyes. "You haven't seen anything yet kid." He said before sprinting off. His weapon dragging behind him. Eisenhower brought the giant weapon in an upward slash, which Ike tried blocking. The issue was, there was too much power behind the blade for the teen to block. As Mers crossed his swords in front of him the cleaver came through and launched the student into the air. Eisenhower quickly switched to a short sword and a pistol in an attempt to capitalize on the damage he just caused.

As Ike was about to slam into the ground Eisenhower caught him in the air with a kick to the stomach, sending Blue across the ground once more. He then sprinted towards the student and slashed at him. The duel sword wielder blocked the strike and pushed Eisenhower away from him. The man then aimed his pistol and began launching bullets. Ike slashed down what he could, but there were too many. A few grazed his arms and chest.

The shooter then rushed forward as he switched his weapons to two metal gauntlets. He led with a right hook, which Mers ducked under. Blue then slashed at the man, leaving a small cut on the brawler's stomach. Eisenhower then unleashed a left jab, which hit Ike in his stomach sending him tumbling away. The teen pushed himself onto his hands and knees. He then looked up in time to see Eisenhower looming over him. Before the older man's curb stomp reached the teen, Blue rolled away and back onto his feet.

Ruby and Sun were fairing far better than their blue haired partner though. Sun smashed his staff across the face of the axe wielder, as Red sprinted forward and slashed her blade at the man. Landing a devastating blow. Wukong then switched to his shotgun nunchucks. As the Faunus spun his weapons around and fired them at the axe wielder, the big bad wolf's worst nightmare stayed back aiming down her rifle.

The man with the axe spun his weapon in a constant circular pattern, blocking the bullets. Ruby then saw her opening and pulled the trigger on her sniper rifle. The bullet sailed through the man's defenses, and sent him tumbling across the ground. Red then spun Crescent Rose around and switched it into its scythe form. The dagger wielder threw one of his weapons at the girl, who spun her weapon and knocked it down.

As the man rushed forward to retrieve his weapon, the monkey Faunus ran over to it as well. Sun the spun in the air and at landed a hard kick to the man's chest. The man who used to have daggers slid across the ground on his back. As he tried to get up, Sun stepped on his right hand forcing him to drop the other dagger. Before he could do anything else, Wukong knocked him out with a swift blow from his staff.

Ike was currently deadlocked with Eisenhower, with Mers having Ichor and Nero crossed in front of him. The teen had been thrown around and looked like he couldn't keep fighting for much longer. He had cuts, scrapes, bruises, and plenty other wounds all over his body. The other man didn't look much better either. Eisenhower was above him with a claymore in his hands pressing downward. Blue was forced downwards onto one of his knees as Eisenhower continuously pressed downward.

Ike, seeing that he couldn't win this struggle, rolled away quickly and tried to stab into the man's side. Eisenhower quickly changed to his massive shield again and blocked the stab. As he went to switch again, Ike pulled out Blue Ruhe and landed a shot to the man's right shin.

Eisenhower switching back to his cleaver sword and charging again. Blue dodged to the side and let the man run past him, but the teen didn't see who was behind him. Ruby. Eisenhower tackled the girl to the ground, and shape shifted to look like her as they rolled. Both the cleaver and Crescent Rose went flying in opposite directions. When the one on the bottom pushed the one on top off, both looked exactly the same. And neither Ike nor Sun knew which one was the real Ruby.

And that would be how Ike ended up being in the situation he was in. The moon seemed as if it was only shining its light on the four people right now. "This is bad." Wukong said, seeming worried for the first time in his life. "Ask her a question or something."

"It doesn't work." Ike replied. "Eisenhower has all of Ruby's important memories right now." The teen studied the two in front of him, until a small light caught his eye. The moon was reflect off the Ruby on the right's bracelet. The only issue? There wasn't Ike's symbol on it.

"It didn't expect her to have on my symbol!" Ike thought to himself. However, he knew if he bluntly said which was real and which was fake, Eisenhower might get away. So he devised a plan.

"However," he began. "I know my girlfriend too well to fall for your trick Eisenhower." He then turned to the disguised Eisenhower. "I know you're the real Ruby." The real Ruby looked completely panicked as Ike began to walk over to the fake clone.

"I knew he wouldn't fool you." Eisenhower said in a perfect mimic of Ruby's voice. The two hugged each other, but a small, somewhat evil, smile tugged at Ike's lips.

"Nice try." He whispered into his foes ear during the embrace. Ike then drew back Ichor and plunged it into the man's stomach. Eisenhower stumble backwards and Blue pulled the blade out of the opening. The man then changed back to his real self as he fell backwards onto the ground.

"Thank Monty you're not dumb." Ruby said as she hugged Ike.

"I could never mistake you." Blue said as he returned the hug. All was silent for a moment, until Eisenhower spoke up.

"How'd you know?" He managed to choke out.

"You eye took a calculated guess. It was simply wrong this time." The teen said motioning towards Ruby's bracelet. "You forgot my symbol."

Eisenhower began to laugh at his own foolishness. "I always knew this mechanical thing would be the death of me."

The archer then walked over to the man and crouched down on one knee next to him. "I know you're not a bad person Eisenhower. Prove it to me."

"How?" The dying man asked.

"Where's Victor. If you tell me I can end all of this."

"Of course. That's why you're doing this. Tying up loose end ehh?"

"I suppose you could say that." The student replied.

"He's in an old town south of Vale. It was destroyed by Grimm a long time ago, but they've managed to reinforce it this time. You'd need a tank to get through those walls."

"I think I can get something better. What's the town called?" Ike asked.

"Linton. They called it Linton. Might take a bit of research to find its location though." Eisenhower said as his last moments approached.

"Thank you my old comrade." It was at this point that Eisenhower's final breath left his body, and his life left him. "May you rest in peace." Ike then closed the man's eyes and stood back up. He turned towards his girlfriend and Faunus friend. "Sun, thanks for the help. We couldn't have done it without you."

"Anytime you need me just call." Wukong replied trying to be as cheerful as he could during this grim moment.

"Ruby, send out a message to everyone telling them to meet us back at Beacon. I'll stay here."

"Are you sure?" Red asked.

"Ya, I can handle it. Sun, you might want to leave, because the cops have never really liked you."

"Ya, good point. I'll see you guys later." Wukong then jumped up onto a nearby roof and disappeared from sight.

"I'll met you back at Beacon then." Ruby said.

"Alright then." Ike gave her a quick kiss, before she walked off.

This left Ike standing in the middle of the terrible scene. He turned his head to see one man passed out. He looked the other way to see the other man in the same state. Then he looked down at his feet to see the dead body of the man he used to work with. He sighed and listened to the distant sound of sirens. "I wish it didn't have to end this way."

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**Well that just happened. We're nearing the end here. Or are we? Nobody knows. Well I do, but I'm not telling. I don't think I have any news, but if you want to submit an idea for what Victor looks like that'd be great. As always make sure to drop a review or send me a pm. I love getting both from everyone. Also I want to thank you all for progressing this story as far as it is now. We're at 38 favs and 44 follows, which is amazing. Also, we're almost at 10,000 views which is unbelievable. I never thought this story would get to be this big, so thank you all once more. I hope you all have a wonderful day!**


	19. Chapter 19: Impending Doom

**Hey hey hey people. I'm back! Nothing really new here today, but I would like to thank Prince of all saians for the idea on Victor. I'm still open to any ideas, but his is really good. Anyways, we're nearing the end here. Are you excited? I am. I won't stop you guys from reading any longer so enjoy :D**

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"Alright what about team Ruby Junipers?" Ike asked Ruby as she sat at her desk working on an assignment. Ike was laying down in his bed throwing a bullet up and down.

"And how would we do that with the initials?" She asked spinning in her office chair.

"RWBYJNIPR?"

"Isn't that a bit obvious?" Ruby asked as she tapped her pencil on her desk.

"No?"

"Yes." Red answered as she wrote down another sentence on her paper for Professor Port.

"Well, how about…" Blue spun his bullet through his fingers thinking of a new name. "Team Juniper Berry!" He called out in excitement. He was obviously impressed by his own naming skills.

"Spell it."

"JWNIPRBRY"

Ruby stopped what she was doing, turned, and simply said, "No." She then turned back to her desk and began working again.

"Why not?" Ike wined as he walked up behind her.

"Because it's not intimidating." The scythe wielder said without looking up.

"Yes and team LADS is real intimidating." The archer said as he spun his girlfriend around.

"Nope, but I don't have control over that. So no team Berry." She said sticking out her tongue.

"Please." The boyfriend said trying to mimic Ruby's puppy eyes.

"Nope. And that doesn't work." She then gave him a quick kiss and returned to her homework. **(This intro is all because of Blue – The First Traveller. He came up with the idea of team JWNIPRBRY. Thanks again :D) **

"Are you two done flirting with each other?" Yang asked from her bed. She was lying face down, so her voice was somewhat muffled.

"Probably not." Ike said with a smile as he flopped back down into his bed.

"Don't you have homework to do?" Weiss asked from her desk.

"Nope." Yang and Ike said at the same time.

"Done with Port." Mers started.

"And Peach." Xiao Long continued.

"And Burns." Blue finished.

"You forgot Oobleck." Ren called out from across the room.

"Crap!" The two called out before dashing over to their desks.

"Thank Monty that's done." The archer said flopping down into his bed.

"You would've been done an hour ago if you weren't stupid." Weiss pointed out.

"Shut it." He said muffled through his pillow. Half of the people in the room had already fallen asleep. Yang was still working on her homework, Nora had yet to stop bouncing off the walls, Weiss was busy studying, and Blake was reading. Jaune had fallen asleep at his desk, Pyrrha simply went to bed, Ruby had fallen asleep studying, and Ren ran out of energy trying to get Nora to be tired. Weiss managed to say some kind of witty remark back, but Ike didn't hear it. His ears had shut off for the night and the rest of his body soon followed.

"You're almost out of time." A voice said. Ike had his eyes closed, but knew exactly where he was. He opened his eyes to see the familiar snowy forest that plagued his dreams. Only this time it was different. The trees were dead and a sickly color. The usually white snow was black.

"I told you, you won't win." The teen responded. The figure of Vesh appeared in front of him and began walking towards him. "I see you've decided to let me see this time.

"Yes, I thought there was something I needed to show you. As you can see I've made a few changes." The evil half responded.

"Yes I can tell. You've always had a firm grip over this place though. It was the first place I was brought to when I was in my coma."

"That is true, but this is what I wanted to show you." Vesh snapped his fingers and the world began to become distorted. It was almost as if someone had filled the world full of water and the waves were taking over. Then everything turned black. Blue stood in the nothingness for a second until light returned to the world. He found himself standing in the room where he had killed Wessel. It was his own memories.

"Why am I here?" Ike called out.

"Watch." The evil side of him responded from nowhere. Ike turned his attention back to his surroundings. He could see Hunters taking care of the few hired men that were left. And in the middle of the room was a past Ike. Gun in his hand. Aim focused on his brother's killer. The shot rang out through the building and echoed off the walls. It was a horribly deafening sound that brought the archer to his knees. He screamed out in pain as the horrible loud sound pierced his ears. He tried covering his ears with his hands, but that seemed to do nothing. Just before it seemed he would lose his hearing entirely the sound stopped. He looked back up to himself to see the barrel of the gun smoking and a cold look upon his face. Past Ike then walked away along with Pyrrha and Yang.

"Why am I here?" The Beacon student asked again.

"I want to show you your future." Vesh responded as he rematerialized.

"What do you mean? This already happened!" Ike yelled obviously angry.

"I mean you weren't in control of yourself there. That wasn't you killing Wessel. It was me."

The truth had finally dawned on Ike, and the horrid realization drained all color from his face. "No. No. That's not true."

Vesh began to approach the broken boy. "But it is. Soon I'll be in control and you'll be stuck in here. It's only a matter of time."

"But I still have time." The archer said attempting to regain a bit of confidence.

"Yes, but very little. My victory is inevitable." A giant map then appeared before Ike. He looked down on it to see the large majority of it pitch black. The small trees all dead wherever the darkness touched it. In a small corner there was a bit of blue left. "See that little blue spot there?" Ike simply nodded. "That's what you control now."

"But if you control so much, then why don't you just take over now?" Blue asked in horror.

"Your mind doesn't work that way. You have to take over a certain amount of the map before you can take over control from the past controller. Think of it as a war. You have to take over so much land from a country before they'll surrender. Im almost there, but not quite."

"How much time do I have left?" Ike asked.

"I'll let this tell you." A chess board then appeared where the map used to be. The black pieces appeared to have every single piece surrounding a lone blue king. "You only have one more move before checkmate. And it doesn't matter where you go." Vesh then began to disappear from sight once more. "Enjoy what little time you have left." Everything faded to black once more, until Ike found himself sitting under a tree. Around him we're vast amounts of hills and valleys. It was something you only find in a painting.

"This must be what part of my head I still own." Ike thought to himself. He then looked over to his right so see a wave of black approaching. Panicked, the archer jumped to his feet and began running away. It was pointless though, as the wave only got closer and closer. And right before it hit him, he woke up.

His eyes popped open and he sat straight up. It was still the dead of night, and he had broken out in a cold sweat. He looked around to see everyone still sleeping. Ike then checked his alarm clock to see it read '1:00.' "What am I going to do now?" He asked himself quietly before laying back down. "This is seeming like a battle I can't win." The teen then sighed. "I need some fresh air." He got up and changed into his normal attire. He then quietly opened the door and snuck out of the building. He walked around the courtyard for a while, until he sat down on a bench in front of a large bed of flowers. He simply thought for a while, until his concentration was broken by the voice of an older man.

"It's a bit late to be observing the flowers, isn't it Mr. Mers?"

"I suppose, but I could be asking you the same question." Mr. Mers replied without looking towards the voice. The faint sound of a cane tapping against the sidewalk got louder and louder as the man got closer and closer. Beacon's headmaster then sat down on the bench next to the teen.

"They are quite stunning aren't they?"

"They really are." Ike replied with a smile.

"Now, do you care to explain why you're out past curfew?" Ozpin asked

"Just need to do a bit of thinking, sir."

"Can you not do that in your room?"

"You know as well as I do that location makes a big difference when trying to clear your head." The troubled teen replied.

"Yes, I suppose it does." The two stat in silence for a bit, until Ozpin asked the question Ike wished he wouldn't. "Do you mind if I ask why you need to clear your head, Mr. Mers?"

"Kinda. And can you stop calling me Mr. Mers. It sounds too professional."

"Are you not here to learn how to become a professional Hunter?"

"I guess, but I'm not one yet." Mers replied smartly.

"I suppose you do have a point, Ike." The teen smiled upon hearing his first name. "However, if I don't have to be formal with you, then there is no reason for you to be formal with me."

"I suppose you have a point too, Ozpin." The headmaster smiled at hearing a student call him by his first name.

"That isn't something I've heard for a long time." The headmaster said with a smile.

"I figured not many students have called you by anything but sir or headmaster for a while." I replied with a small laugh.

"No, not many have. Now are you sure there isn't anything I can help you with?" Ozpin asked.

Ike sighed and realized he did need help. He was just afraid of losing everything he had work so hard to gain because of the truth. "Have you ever felt like you're not quite in control of yourself?"

The headmaster thought for a little bit and replied. "I suppose I have. In the middle of combat there are times where I've fought without even remembering what had happened at the end."

"Well I think I have a major case with that."

"I don't quite understand what you mean."

"I mean, that a lot of the times it feels like that I'm not in control of myself."

Thought Ike didn't exactly tell the headmaster everything, the older man seemed to understand what his student was poking at. "Ahh I see. Unfortunately this is a battle you must win alone. You're the only one in your head, so you have to win this for yourself. While your battle will be a difficult one, and your enemy is far more prepared you can still win. Not every winner of a war does well at first."

"Thanks Ozpin that helps."

"Your quite welcome Ike, now I believe it is time for both of us to go to bed. It's getting quite late." The headmaster then stood up from the bench.

"I guess you're right. Thanks again." The student said.

"If you ever need more help you know where I am." The man then began walking back into the building. "And don't worry about the breaking curfew for tonight. It was a rule Headmistress Goodwitch set into action." He then walked into the archway and disappeared around a corner.  
Ike sat at the bench for a little while long, before realizing what he would most likely have to do. "I'll have to stay in my head for a while." He thought. While he didn't like the idea, he knew it was the best thing he could do. However, he would have solve his issue with Victor first. Victor was most likely beginning to get skeptical that he hadn't heard from Eisenhower for a little while. If he waited much longer, he would move locations and all of everyone's work would be for not.

Ike returned to his room and took a quick shower. He then changed back into his usual clothes and laid down in his bed. Sleep soon over took him once more, but once more Vesh plagued his dreams.

"Wake up sleepy head." Ruby said as she shook him awake.

Ike rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked around. He was simply sitting up in his bed. However, when he went to kiss Ruby everything changed. Right before the pair's lips touched, Red dropped. Ike opened his eyes and looked down to see nothing but the floor. He then looked back up to see everyone dropping in a similar fashion. It was almost as if an invisible trapdoor was opening under them. The archer tried to rush forward and save a few, but he simply couldn't move. He then looked up to see Vesh. The darker half smiled evilly before waving goodbye, and as he did Ike too dropped. He fell for what seemed like days until he hit the ground. Pain shot through his body, but what hurt more was that his body started healing. Unimaginable amounts of pain surged through his being as his bones slowly formed back together. Just as he felt he was about to pass out, his body finished healing. The teen stood up to find himself under the same tree he was at before. The only difference this time, it was dead. He looked around to see the once beautiful hills and valleys gross, ugly, and somewhat demented. Creatures of Grimm littered the landscape, but none of them seemed to notice him. He leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes. He then heard the sound of a snarling beast next to his head. He turned and saw the face of a Beowolf within inches of his. Ike rolled away, and looked down at his hands to see he didn't have either Nero or Ichor. He then reached to his back to find both his quiver and Aeolus gone as well. "Alright, looks like I'm fighting barehanded." The beast slowly approached its prey. Ike rushed forward and connected a right hook to its head. The beast didn't even seem to notice it. Ike then tired a roundhouse kick, but it wielded the same effect. The Beowolf lunged forward, and Blue attempted to super jump over the attack. However, his semblance didn't work and the Creature of Grimm pounced on him. Right before the beast's mouth clamped down on Ike's head, he woke up once more. He sat straight up eyes wide. He glanced around the room to see everyone preparing their weapons.

"Ike, are you ok?" Ruby asked.

"Is this real?" The teen asked panicked.

"What do you mean?" Red asked.

"Is this real life, or a dream?"

"Its real life." Ruby answered confused.

"No, he would have you answer like that anyways." Ike then looked over at the wall and saw his bow hanging in its usual place. "Ok, this is real."

"Ike, are you okay? You're acting really weird." His girlfriend asked extremely confused.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a really bad dream."

"Well I would love to hear about it, but we have to go." Weiss said sheathing her rapier.

"Where are we going?" The archer asked.

"They found Victor's location, and Ozpin's sending us out now. We were just about to wake you up when you popped up." Yang said loading her gauntlets.

"Why are we leaving in such a hurry anyways?" Jaune asked.

"He probably doesn't want to lose track of where Victor is. I doubt he stays in the same place for long." Ren responded.

"Ren's right. If he knew we were coming for him he'd either relocate or fortify his defenses. Either way it wouldn't make our lives easier." Ike then began to gather his equipment.

"You know Ike, we still have a bit of time if there's something you want to talk about." Pyrrha said.

Ike turned around to see everyone looking at him. "No I'm fine. Like I said it was just a bad dream. Let's just finish this." Yang then walked up to him.

"Is this dream in anyway related to you losing control of yourself to your other half?" She asked in a rather quiet voice.

"Yes, it is, but we can't worry about that now. We have something far more important to end." Ike then loaded his arrows into his quiver and opened up the door.

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**A big fight is coming up. I don't know if the next chapter will be one or two parts, so we'll just have to wait and see. Unfortunately that last little bit did seem a bit not too good to me. I don't know why it just really didn't. I hope it didn't seem too terrible for you guys. There's no big news, so I'll just end it here. I hope you all have a great weekend and I'll see you all next time. Don't forget to send me a pm or leave a review while I'm writing. It always inspires me to write a bit more. Also, if you guys ever want to bounce some ideas around with me, I'm more than happy to. That's about it, so bye guys :D **


	20. Chapter 20: With a Bang: Part 1

**Hey guys! What's up? I actually wanted to have this chapter out yesterday, but I ended up in the hospital. How you may ask. I was playing soccer, again, and rushed the keeper. I thought he was going to slide for the ball, so I went to jump over him. He then popped back up and took my legs out from under me. I then landed on my back after dropping about five feet in the air. Then I started coughing up blood. And then the ambulance came and took me to the hospital. I got released from the hospital around 10 that night and turns out I have a deep bruise in the muscles alining my spine, and my left lung is deflated. Never did find out why I was coughing up blood though. Needless to said, it hurt. A lot. Anyways, that's enough about me, so enjoy :D**

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Ike sat patiently in the Bullhead as it rushed to the small village. He simply looked outside the window and watched the clouds fly by. "This is it." He thought. "This is the end." The teen checked his arrow count once more. He then walked into the bathroom and looked into the mirror. He saw his reflection, then his eyes turned black and a more sinister looking version of himself stood in the mirror for a second only to disappear. "I'm far from done with all by problems though." The archer splashed a bit of water into his face and walked back out.

"We're almost to the drop off point." The pilot called out.

Ike looked around himself to see the small army that Ozpin was able to construct. There was teas RWBY and JNPR, a few Hunters with varying weapons **(I kinda wanted to make them the reds and blues plus Tex, but I decided that you guys probably wouldn't have liked that. Send me a pm or leave a review telling me if I made a good choice or not.)**, and even Beacon's own Professor Port, who was talking to a few of the Hunters about his "exciting" tales. They all had about the same expression the teacher's students did. One woman, who had a very aquatic look to her that was completed with a trident, was almost asleep. She had crimson hair with an aquatic looking headband on it. There was a man with a sword and shield who had blonde hair, and looked like he could almost be a relative of Jaune's. He even wore somewhat similar clothing. Along with his shortish blonde hair, he had a small stubble of a beard on his face. Another man, who was a squirrel Faunus, was checking on a bunch of explosives. All of which Nora looked to be drooling over. The man had a big bushy tail, which was swinging back and forth catching the attention of Blake, and a matching set of brown ears. His hair and eyes both matched the color of the tail. There was a man in a maroon hooded robe that was spinning a flail around with one hand and propping up his head with the other. His only visible features were a pair of blood red eyes. Finally there was a man and a woman who each were inspecting their rifles. The woman had silver hair and wore a dress much like Weiss's and Ruby's. The man on the other hand had green hair, which matched his green attire. The Beacon professor then walked up to the blue haired Hunter-in-Training.

"Are you ready lad?" He asked.

"About as ready as I can be."

The Professor slapped the boy on his back and let out a hearty laugh. "I'm sure you'll do exceptional! This is your fight after all." Port was right. Even though everyone was here to help, this was his fight. He was the reason everyone was there. Even though Ike had tried to convince Ozpin to only let teams RWBY and JNPR come along with him, the Headmaster wouldn't allow it.

"This is far too dangerous of a mission for me to let two first year teams go on alone." The man with a coffee cup had said.

The ship began to descend, and everyone stood up. "Alright, this is the evac point." The pilot started. "You have the entire day to be here, but keep in contact at all times. If the ship gets attacked I'll be forced to move to the second evac point, which is two miles south of here. Got it?" Everyone nodded their heads. "Good. Stay safe and good luck." The back door to the ship opened and the attackers walked out.

They raiding party had been dropped off in the middle of a forest. The trees had bright green leaves, and it looked a lot like the Emerald Forest. It definitely wasn't though, because they had just taken a ten minute ride over to their location. Ike felt bad for Jaune who was currently losing his lunch in the bushes. "Well, let's get this over with." The hooded Hunter said, revealing his extremely obvious **(British)** accent, as he began heading north. **(In the show England isn't a real place, so you can't really describe it as a British accent without an author's note.) **The group followed him, and Jaune was even able to manage to walk. He did look like he'd have to make a few more stops by the bushes though. As the party carried onwards, Ike walked up to Port, who was in charge of the mission.

"So what's the plan?" Blue asked.

The older man thought for a bit then replied. "I'm not sure."

"What do you mean you're not sure?"

"You would know this man better than me. You also received all the scouting reports about the location, so maybe I should ask you what the plan is."

Peter was correct, Ike was probably the best choice to lead the group. Even though all the Hunters had years of experience, the teen knew how Victor operated, as well as the location they were attacking. It was a small village with around twenty houses surrounding a town hall. The town hall was most likely where Victor would be, along with a few of the higher-ups. Surrounding the village was a giant wall, with guards posted on top of it. Eisenhower wasn't kidding when he said that they'd need a tank. Unfortunately, they didn't bring one. "We need to attack the village from the front and the back." The archer began. "The front gate is the only way we can get in, seeing as the walls of Linton are now impenetrable. We should have a small force attacking the back side to draw the guards away from the front. Then the front team will attack the front gate. Most likely, we'll have to blow it up." Just saying the words 'blow it up' made Nora perk up a bit. "Let's have anyone with a long range weapon hit from the back. I also want You, Jaune, Blake and the Hunters with the flail and sword and shield back there as well. Maybe Jaune can learn something from him." Ike looked back to see the man with the sword and shield already teaching Jaune a bit about his stance. The teen then looked around to see many of the Beacon's students already talking to the Hunters. Ren was starting a conversation with the man with the flail, Weiss and Ruby were talking to the woman in the combat skirt. Pyrrha was talking to the other crimson haired girl. Nora, unsurprisingly, was obsessing over the Faunus's explosives, with Blake rather close by. And Yang was 'talking' to Nathan, who appeared to have the same love for arguing as the blonde girl did.

"That appears to split our forces about 50/50." Port commented. "The team attacking the back will end up being Jaune, Blake, John who has the sword and shield, Rogue who has the flail, Ruby, myself, Nathan, and finally Diamond. Nathan and Diamond both have midrange rifles."

"Good, so that leaves the frontal assault team with Yang, Weiss, Ren, Nora, Pyrrha, the guy with the grenades, the woman with the trident, and myself."

"The man with the grenades is Connor and the woman with the trident is Sapphire." Port corrected.

"Thanks. Anyways, when the back team begins their attack we'll have anyone with explosives start unloading on the front gate, while everyone else protects them. Once the front gate is open they'll all know and guards will return to the front. At that time, I want everyone rushing back to the front. From there we'll break up into two separate groups once more and sweep through the buildings." Ike said finishing his plan.

"Any recommendation on the second groups of two?"

"Nope, just whatever feels right at the time. I do want Jaune and John together, Ruby and I together, and Nathan and Diamond split."

"That sounds like and excellent plan to me!" The professor said in his norm all happy tone.

"Are we almost there?" Connor wined.

"Can you ever be quite and just walk?" Sapphire asked.

"No." Rogue answered for the Faunus.

These kind of closely knit conversations stayed with the ground throughout the trip. John continued to give Jaune pointers on his fighting style along the way. When Nora finally gave Connor a chance to talk to someone else, he slowed his pace and walked next to Blake.

"So what's up with the bow?" He asked.

"It's just decoration. I thought it looked nice." Blake lied.

"Oh cut the crap. You and I both know what's under there."

"And that would be?" The Faunus in hiding asked nervously.

Connor leaned close to her ear and whispered. "Cat ears."

"How'd you know?" She asked.

Connor put his hands behind his head and began to walk away from the girl. "I've been at this for a while. You could say I'm almost purrfect at it." The man then began laughing at his own joke and continued his conversation with Nora.

As the fire team reached the crest of another one of the many hills, they looked down to see the town of Linton in a valley. There were concrete walls surrounding the entire village making it almost impenetrable. Almost. "That's a hell of a place to defend." Nathan said to nobody particular.

"You can say that again." Yang added just as in awe.

"That's a hell of a pl…" He began.

"Please don't." Diamond said stopping him.

"So what's the plan?" Sapphire asked Peter. Professor Port then explained Ike's plan.

"Are there any objections?" The mustached man asked.

"Doesn't it seem like a rubbish plan to make up teams on the fly?" Rogue asked.

"It doesn't seem extremely brilliant." Weiss added.

"We won't know what's behind those walls until we get in there, meaning that the best plan of action would be assessing who needs to be where once we get in." Ike explained.

"Can't argue with that logic." John retorted as he unsheathed his sword. "Plus it'll be nice working with the kid in action." The older blonde then pulled Jaune into a headlock.

"Alright, backside team take up positions where you see fit. As soon as a majority of the guards leave, the frontal assault team will break open the gates. Once the gate's open, everyone rush inside. Good luck to all of you." Professor Port then lead the backside team to their positions.

"This won't be easy." Ike thought to himself before he led the frontal assault team to the trees surrounding the front of the fort.

-To the Back of the Wall-

The eight members had all posted themselves in different locations. Ruby was currently sitting in a bush, sniper at the ready. Diamond and Nathan were far closer than the teenage girl, but ready to fire none the less. The other five members were spread out across the back of the wall with Peter in the middle. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Jaune asked.

Everyone had the same answer. "No."

"But we do it anyways." John said cheerfully.

"ANYONE THERE!" Port boomed.

"Ya, what do you want?" A man answered.

"We wish to talk to you if you would come down." Port replied.

"Fine, but drop you weapons." The Professor nodded for the other four to do so, and they complied. Five men then came down from the top of the wall and 'greeted them'. "Now, what do you want?" Those were the last words that man said before a bullet from Nathan's rifle went sailing through his head.

"I thought we weren't supposed to kill!" Ruby said through the comms obviously angry.

"Your mission might've said nothing lethal, ours didn't." Nathan replied. "I doubt Ike's did either. This is his assassination contract after all."

Rogue then began casually talking to the other four men. "Oh, we don't want any trouble." Diamond then dropped another man. "We were just wondering if you wanted to join us for fish and chips." Ruby then shot a man through the leg incapacitating him. "Maye join us in a rousing game of checkers." Port rushed back to his weapon and unloaded the blunderbuss end into a man's chest. "Then we could end the night with a toast to our friendship." John rushed the last man and knocked him out with his sheild. "Doesn't that sound fun?" Rouge asked as the last man fell over. "I thought so." **(Yes, there will be killing here. I expected that Hunters would kill instead of incapacitating.)**

"Still don't like killing?" Diamond asked John.

"Not really." The man replied. "It's a waste of life."

"Ahh, that it is, but sometimes a necessity of combat." Port relied.

"Head's up, you got guards moving your way." Sapphire said over the comms. "Anyone that can shoot should be aiming on top of the wall."

"On it." Diamond said as she quickly moved behind a boulder for cover. "Just worry about getting that door open."

Soon the reinforcements arrived from both the top of the wall and the sides. As Nathan, Diamond, and Ruby fired at the men on the walls, the other five attacked the ground forces. Jaune and John stayed close together throughout the fight. As John rushed forward, blocking bullets with his shield, Jaune stayed behind him. John slammed his shield into two men as he reached the wall of troops. Jaune the rotated around the older blonde and did the same. Blake began to shadow from person to person as she hacked her way through the forces. Rogue simply stayed put and let the enmity surround him. Once they did his normally calm demeanor dropped. He spun his flail a few times before extending out the chain of the weapon. The spiked ball at the end proceeded to bounce off of one guard to the next as the hooded man spun and flipped to avoid bullets. Peter, already being at the heart of the attack, slashed his way through multiple enemies before they could attack him with swords. A few shots of his blunderbuss could be hear as he unloaded the weapon periodically. Jaune and John were standing back to back as a hail of bullets bounced off their shields. "Remember the backflip thing I told you about?" The older blonde asked.

"Ya, why?"

"Just be ready to charge my way." John then pushed off the ground flipping over Jaune's head. As he did this, Jaune spun on his heel and charged at the men whose bullets were hitting John's shield moments before. As John landed he also rushed forwards. The Hunter bashed a few men away with his shield and he pivoted and slashed at another. As one of the men charged him with his sword raised, John disarmed then man and landed a kick to his chest. This sent the guard flying towards many of the other men. As John fought back his group with ease, Jaune was having a bit more trouble. One of the guards slashed at the teen, who blocked the blow with his shield. The Hunter-in-Training then punched the man in the head knocking him out. Before the blonde could turn around, he had two more men attacking with swords. The first man slashed downwards and Jaune defected the strike with his shield. However, the second man slashed diagonally. The teen was able to deflect the strike, but was knocked off balance. The first guard, who was tossed aside by the swordsman's shield, then clashed blades with the teen. The two were locked in a stalemate as they attempted to overpower each other. As the struggle continued the second armed man was prepared to strike down Jaune, but before he could John ran in and shoulder checked the man. The Hunter then ended the stalemate by punching the guard in the head, knocking him out.

"Thanks." Jaune said.

"Don't thank me yet. We aren't out of the woods yet." The older Hunter said as the two blondes returned to their back to back positions.

-Meanwhile Out Front-

"Well, there goes a lot of guards." Ike said as he stood up on the tree branch he was on. "Let's go!" He called out to the others, who all left their hiding spots. The blue haired teen then jumped down from his perch.

"So how do we get the door open?" Yang asked.

"Blow it up?" Connor and Nora asked at the same time.

"Yep." Ike responded as if he hadn't just given two explosive junkies the permission to unload their arsenal. "They probably still have a few guys left out front, so we'll set up as quietly as possible, but be ready to fight."

"And how exactly do we set up?" Sapphire asked.

"I want Connor and Nora rigging explosives to the door's hinges and blowing it up. Hopefully that'll open them up. Any other questions?"

"Is this safe?" Weiss asked.

"Nope." The explosive duo answer together.

"Is this sane?" Ren asked.

"I believe that question was answered with the first response." Pyrrha answered.

"Any others?" The archer asked. Nobody responded. "Perfect, let's get started.

The frontal fire team snuck up as close as they could to the front gate. There was about fifty yards of open field that they'd have to defend. "When they see us start attacking, we'll only have a minute or two before reinforcement arrive. We'll have to be ready by then." Blue informed. Everyone simply nodded in response. Ike then stood up from his crouched position and sprinted towards the door. As he ran the others began to follow him. He looked up and saw a guard begin moving to warn another. The archer pulled out Aeolus and fired an arrow into the man's chest. It appeared to piece the bucket proof vest, but probably didn't go that far into the skin. None the less, the man fell of the concrete wall. As a second guard looked to where arrow was fired from, he too received an arrow to the chest. This ended the armed man up in the same spot as the first. It was at this time that around ten guards saw the team charging for the door and began contacting reinforcements to come to their aid. By the time the call went out, the assault team had made it to the door, and began to rig the door to blow. It was obvious the giant gate was made of thick metal and wouldn't be easy to get through. The six fighters that weren't preparing explosives formed a semicircle around the doorway and readied their weapons. "How long will it take before we can blow it?" Ike asked.

"Give us about three minutes." Connor answered as he frantically placed C4 on the door.

"Looks like we have about two minutes of fighting." Sapphire answered as the guards who didn't go to the back wall appeared.

"Or maybe more." Ike replied.

"Attention assholes!" The leader started.

"Pleasant way to start." Sapphire said sarcastically.

"Drop your weapons and stand down. Reinforcements are on their way and you have no way of winning this fight." The man finished.

"Fat chance of that." Yang said to herself.

Sapphire then launched her trident into the leader's chest and rushed forward into the small ground. The rest of the team followed her up. Ike sprinted past the Huntress and kicked one guard into another. Sapphire then rolled forward and grabbed her trident. She then pulled it out and carried her momentum forward. Blue kicked another guard into the air, which Yang capitalized on. "Going up." She called out to Pyrrha, who held her shield over her head. The brawler planted one foot on the shield and launched herself into the air. She then caught up to the flying man in the air and slammed him back into the ground, and on top of two of the armed men. Sapphire spun her trident over her head, and slammed a blunt part of it into another man's head. Ren decided to play defensively and countered the enemies sword slashes. As a vertical strike came downwards on top of him, he cross the blades on his guns and blocked the strike. He then pressed upwards relieving his foe of his weapon. The teen then spun and kicked the man out of the way. The magenta eyed boy began unloading bullets out of his SMGs before the guards could fire back. One man was able to get close enough to try and land a horizontal swing. Ren blocked the strike and kicked the man in the chest. He then threw up the gun in his right hand and landed a palm strike to the guard's chest sending him flying backwards. The teen caught the weapon and returned to fighting. Weiss glided across the ground and into the battle. She froze enemies in front of her and then turned to her fight. She launched fire dust at another group of men, stopping them in their track. As another man charged at her with a sword she countered the attack. The heiress then disarmed the man and slammed the hilt of her rapier into the man's head and knocked his unconscious. Ike slashed Nero across another man's chest and kicked him away. The final enemy swung the butt of his gun at Blue's head, and the teen ducked under the stick. He then punched him the stomach making the man double over. With the guard down on one knee and holding his stomach the teen looked down on him. That's when Vesh arrived once more. The evil side took over for a moment and raised Ichor above his head. Ike fought to regain control and the blue haired Hunter-in-Training froze doing nothing. "Ike do something!" Yang called out to him, but the teen stood still. The brawler then walked over to the downed man and knocked him unconscious with a punch to the head, "Ike are you there?" She asked.

Ike's entire body shuddered and he returned to his normal self. "Ya, I'm fine." He began to walk back to the doors, but Yang stopped him.  
"You know you don't have to fight. We can handle this if you need to sort out your... issues."

"No, this is my fight. I'll be fine." The archer then walked back to the door.

"How much longer on that door?" Sapphire asked.

"About two minutes." The squirrel Faunus replied.

"Okay, everyone hold your ground." The aquatic girl said as she got back into a fighting stance.

"Hey, why'd you stab that guy in the chest?" Yang asked the Huntress with the trident.

"Yes, this was supposed to be a nonlethal mission." Pyrrha added.

"Not for us!" Connor answered.

"Or for Ike either." Sapphire added. This caused the three Beacon students who weren't mentioned to look at the blue haired teen.

"Is this true?" Weiss asked him.

"Ozpin told me to do what I had to. I have no restrictions." The archer replied.

"We don't have time for this, we have more enemies inbound." Sapphire said mentioning the wave of guards heading their way.

"That's a lot more than I expected." Ike said to nobody in particular as the six base invaders prepared to crash into the wave of guards.

"Attention assholes!" The leader of the group began.

"We've already been given this speech!" Yang yelled back as she reloaded her gauntlets.

The man looked around and found the dead and knocked out bodies of his comrades. "So you have." He said to himself. "Charge men!"

The two opposing sides then crashed into each other.

-Going to the Back-

As Ruby fired the last round in her magazine, she noticed more men were retreating to the front gate instead of protecting the back. "They're falling back to the front gate!" She called out.

"Yes we know." Port replied as he slashed down another man. "Ruby, I want you Diamond, Blake, John and Jaune to return to the front. They'll need the help."

"What about you guys?" John asked.

"Don't worry, there's not many of them left." Nathan answered as he fired.

"We got this, just go." Rogue added as he slammed his flail into another man's head. And with that fire members of the backside fire team left. The remaining three were soon surrounded by the final twenty men. Five had rifles and the other fifteen wielded swords.

"Three against twenty huh?" Nathan asked.

"Our kind of fight." Rogue added with a smile.

"Nathan, I want you to take down the remaining gunmen let Rogue and I worry about the close range fighters." Peter orders.

"You got it old man." Nathan said as he trained his weapon on of the rifle men. As he fired, chaos ensured. The first shot dropped the first of five shooters. The Hunter then turned and fired at the man behind him. As that shot entered the guard's body, another bullet hit Nathan's right arm. "Son of a bitch!" Nathan yelled as he held onto his gun with only his left hand. "I'm hit." He called over the comms.

"Just keep fighting." Sapphire responded with the clashing of metal in the background. The Hunter then split the assault rifle in half turning it into two pistols. While he couldn't fire with his right arm, he could at least shoot with his left. The Hunter shot the man on his right, who had injured his arm. Without looking, Nathan then fired behind his head earning himself a headshot. Before he could hit the last gunman, one of the swordsman rushed him. The green clad Hunter unloaded a bullet into the man's leg. He then grabbed the guard and used him as a human shield as round after round piled into the, now dead, man's body. As the bullets stopped fire, Nathan dropped the human shield and fired three rounds of his own into the final shooters body.

While Nathan was firing, the two Hunters with melee weapons were hard at work. Port slashed another man down with his axe, and used the sideways momentum to turn and fire at another. Rogue on the other hand was spinning his body and weapon like a madman. His flail connected with the side of another guard. The hooded Hunter then spun and kicked the same man in the head. His momentum didn't stop though as he slammed the spinning ball into the head of another man. One guard tried to be smart, and caught the chain of the flail with his blade. Rogue ripped the weapon out of his opponent's hands and sent it flying into the chest of another guard. He then sweep the unarmed man's legs out from under him, and smashed his chest, breaking multiple ribs. Peter ran straight towards another swords man and slide tackled him. Before the man landed on top of the teacher however, Peter shot the man into the air with his blunderbuss. Right as he was about to slash down his fourth man, Nathan fired a bullet into the man's head. Beacon's Professor spun on the ball of his heel, and disarmed the man attempting to attack from behind. Rogue then ran forward and slapped him away with his flail. The remaining five men had seen the devastation that was laid before them, and simply ran away into the forest. Nathan aimed one final shot, and hit one of the retreating men in the back of the leg. The man rolled to the ground, but was picked up by his comrades as they ran off. "Doubt they'll get far before Grimm maul them." Nathan said as he reloaded his weapon. That's when they heard a massive explosion from the front and smoke rise to the sky.

"I believe that's our cue to return to the front." Peter said as the group began running to the front gate.

-To the Front for the Last Time-

"More incoming!" Yang called out as she punched another man in the face.

"Just keep fighting!" Ike called back as he slashed through guards. "How much longer on that door?"

"Only like a minute!" Connor called back as he continued wiring explosives together. Weiss had fallen back to take more of an artillery position and defended Connor and Nora from any enemies that got too close for comfort. She unleashed various elemental dust into the group. Only guard tried rushing her, but she glided forward and slashed the sword out of his hands. She then frozen the guard to the ground and schooled him with a bit of lighting dust. The electrocution caused the man to pass out. The rest of the frontal fire team was busy slashing through enemies. Ike switched to Aeolus and began firing arrow after arrow into guards. Then he heard the gunshot of Crescent Rose. Ruby flashed forward and drop kicked the man next to the blue haired teen.

"Finally joined the party?" Ike asked.

"Ya, wouldn't miss it for the world." She responded. The rest of the backside team, excluding Peter, Rogue, and Nathan, then rushed into the fray, trapping the guards.

"Where's the others?" Yang asked as she backed up into the other two.

"Taking care of the last people in the back." Red responded as she unloaded sniper rounds.

That's when the call came over the comms. "I'm hit." The green haired hunter called over the comms.

"That's not good." The brawler said.

"Just keep fighting." Sapphire responded.

"Guys we have an issue!" Nora yelled out.

The archer ran over to the gate to figure out the issue. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"I don't think we have enough explosives to open the door." Connor answered.

"Shit." Blue then looked into his quiver and relished what he'd have to do. "Everyone stand back." Connor ran away and began throwing grenades into the crowd of men, while Nora began to raise hell with her hammer. "Please leg this work." Ike said to himself as he drew his last volatile demolition arrow. He aimed at the door that had so many blinking lights it looked like it belonged in a sci fi movie. He then released the arrow and watched it fly. It hit the door and unleashed a massive explosion. The doors were thrown off of their hinges and flew into the complex, smacking into many of the men on the inside near it. "We're in!" Ike called out. The raiding party forced back the rest of the guards as they ran off into the woods.

"Should we follow them?" Jaune asked.

"No, let them be." Diamond replied.

"Won't make it far anyways." Sapphire added.

"Are you okay?" John asked Nathan.

"Ya, I'll be fine." The green haired shooter responded. He had managed to bandage up the bullet wound with a piece of his shirt sleeve.

The smoke began to clear and the final three members arrived to the front door. Ike looked into the complex and saw a man in a hooded black robe standing on the inside, smiling. "What's the plan, Mr. Mers?" Professor Port asked. The teen didn't respond through. He simply stood giving the man a death stare. "Mr. Mers?"

"Ike!" Yang called out. Blue turned his attention to the team.

"Ya?" He asked.

"What's the plan?" Ruby asked.

Ike turned and looked back into the village, only to see the hooded man gone.

* * *

**So this chapter and next chapter were going to be one chapter, but this one was big enough as is, so next chapter is the big end. Or is it? It all depends on if I have ideas. Anyways, make sure you read the next chapter for the big ending. Which, might just be kinda like a season break in a show and not the end of the series. Hopefully. Anyways, have a great day :D**


	21. Chapter 21: With a Bang: Part 2

**Hello everyone! How are you? I'm fine and for once I'm not injured. Shocker isn't it? Well I won't delay you any further. Ejoy :D**

* * *

"Ike? Ike are you there?" The girl with the mega scythe asked.

"Change of plans." The blue haired archer responded.

"Your just gonna drop new orders on us like that?" Nathan asked somewhat upset.

"Yes, chances are they're already preparing for us, so why give them time. We're going directly into that building." Ike then pointed to the building where the cloaked man had been standing in front of. It was a rather large building, but many of the other building were equal in size. It was obvious that the villagers who used to live here couldn't have made it that big to begin with.

"Why that one?" Jaune asked.

"Because that where Victor is." Blue responded.

"How can you be so sure?" Blake asked.

"I. Just. Know. I worked for this man for years. I know how he operates."

"Well we should get going then." Connor said as he held two grenades, one in each hand.

"What about the men in the other houses?" Sapphire asked.

"We'll be fighting a two sided fight." The archer responded. "Half of us will clear the house, while the other half defends us from everyone else. I'm not going to say this'll be easy, but it can be done."

"What happens if he isn't there though?" Ruby asked.

"Trust me, he will be." Ike responded.

"So who'll be on which team?" Pyrrha asked.

"We could have Team RWBY, Ike, Rogue, Sapphire, and myself can take the offensive." The Beacon Professor suggested. "Team JNPR, John, Diamond, Nathan, and Connor can take protection duty."

"Sounds good enough to me." Nathan said reloading his handgun. Diamond then walked up to the injured man.

"Just try to stay back, okay? You're already hurt." She said.

"Don't worry about me." The green haired hunter responded with a smile. That's when the pilot of the evac ship came over the comms.

"Hey, I hate to make the situation worse, but the ship's being attacked by Grimm. I'm moving to the secondary rendezvous point and it looks like they're following, so we don't have a whole lot of time. I'll stay as long as I can but you might want to hurry."

"Understood." The blue archer answered. "Time to move." The teen said right before he began sprinting through the village. Everyone soon followed behind him, however the guards weren't going to let it be that simple. **(I'm going to focus mainly on Ike in these fight scenes, just because it's really difficult to jump I between people. I will throw in a little bit of fighting with a few others.)** The first man ran out from between two buildings and shoulder checked the archer. Ike was thrown side way and rolled to a landing. He then pulled out Aeolus and shot the man in his foot. Blake then responded with a series of slashes as she shadowed around the man, until he fell to his knees. And then to his face. "Just keep moving, the defensive team will be able to handle these guys." Ike called back. Soon enough, the offensive team was inside the building. The defensive team stayed outside of the building and began fighting off waves of enemies.

The building looked like a town hall. It had a few rows of seats leading downwards to an open floor. In the seats were differently dressed people. Each person with an individual weapon, with around fifteen or so members. On the floor were three seats for, what Ike assumed, the elected officials. And guess who was in the mayor's seat. "Took you long enough." The man said. He had one foot up on the desk in front of the chair and was rotating the chair back and forth just a little bit. He wore all black, except for a small red piece of fabric, which rested on his shoulders. He had a few spare bullets on a belt around his waist, which were for the handgun on his hip. He had a red headband wrapped around his forehead, which was partially covered by his pitch black hair.** (Vincent from Final Fantasy 7, and yes this was the suggestion I got that I loved so much. Thanks again for the idea.**) "Then again you always were late, India."

"India?" Team RWBY asked.

"He never used real names for most of us. Just our first initial. I was India because my name's Ike. My brother was Juliett and Laurel was Lima. Nobody knows what Victor's real name is. I doubt he still does either."

"Juliett always did hate that name didn't he? Always said it was too feminine." Victor responded.

"Then why did Eisenhower's name stay?" Yang asked.

"Because, he joined after a few years of being a Hunter. Never could get used to being called Echo, so we let him keep his name." The man in red answered for the blue clad teen.

"There was only one other person who keep his real name in the organization." The archer said as he readied Ichor and Nero.

"Me." A voice said behind the group. Ike swung his blade at the voice, but missed the body. The man jumped back a stood his ground behind them. It was the man in black again, but this time Ike had a better look at him. The man before him stood at around six foot, four inches. He donned a black, hooded robe that flapped around him in the wind. He also had metal boots on, which matched his metal shin guards. He wore white pants on under it, with a leather chest plate. He had a white piece of fabric hanging from his waist, with ancient writing on it. He also had on black metal shoulder pads. He wore black fingerless gloves, and had his halberd resting on his right shoulder. Though his hood cover much of his head, Ike could still see his face. He had long white hair, that covered portions of the side of his head, and he had a white completion. **(Here's the picture it's based off of ?pic=3310ke0&amp;s=5 he doesn't have the sword though, because it's a halberd. Thanks to the creator of this guy :D)** His halberd was only made of steel. The grip has blue leather wrapped around it, with two gold rings wrapped around both ends. The bottom is rounded off at the bottom, with a small hole at the end. There is a trigger at the top end of the grip, with a magazine directly below that. The bladed end has a duel sided axe head, with one side being larger than the other. It also has a spear point at the end of it. Ike knew that the weapon could break into two pieces, and become two different weapons. It broke directly above the grip. The bottom half mecha-shifted into a full auto assault rifle, with a detachable butt. The bladed side can fold into itself becoming a smaller one sided axe, and the spear point completely disappears. Ike also knew that it could be fired in its full form, but you'd have to be a point blank range for it to even be able to hit. His name? Deces Lamina.

"So why isn't there like twenty-five people in here? If you named them off of their first initials, then there'd be twenty-six minus you, Ike, is twenty-five." Sapphire asked.

"Simple." The Deces replied.

"Some people leave like India there, some die such as Juliett, and others are simply cut from our little group." Victor replied.

"Cut?" Blake asked.

"That means they weren't strong enough, so they killed them off." Blue answered.

"We lost three Charlie's that way." The leader said in a mock of sadness. "But there's been enough talk for now. I think it's time to crush this little raid myself." Victor then stood up and revealed his weapon. It was a half whip, half taser. Its handle consisted of a piece of metal wrapped in rubber with a giant switch on top of that. On the switch were two large buttons, and the bottom one was pressed in. A flexible piece of copper wire was then attached to the mega switch, at the end of the wire was a metal rectangle with rounded edges. On the longer outer sides was two more pieces of copper wire, but these were extremely big and almost impossible to bend. Victor pressed in the top button, causing the bottom one to pop out, at the weapon came to life. Electricity sparked up and down the copper wire, as well as the wire on the side of the metal rectangle.

"I'll take Victor." Ike said switching his blades to a bow and notched an arrow. "Yang, throw the idiot in the robe outside and let everyone else deal with him. The rest of you need to start taking out agents. They're all pretty strong, so fighting off a few of them at a time isn't going to be easy. So, good luck." Ike then drew back his arrow and fired at Victor. The man sidestepped it and watched it stick into the wall behind him. The man in red then ripped the arrow out of the wall and crushed it in his hands. Ike switched back to Ichor and Nero and charged forward. The teen jumped over the agents he used to work with and rolled and he landed right in front of Victor. The leader spun his whip around himself and cracked it downwards onto Ike. The teen blocked it with Nero, and that earned him a small shock.

"This is going to be fun." The black haired man said. "You never could beat me, and you won't now!" He then brought his whip downwards, but this time Ike sidestepped it. The teen then stepped on the metal part, making sure to avoid the copper, and elbowed Victor in the mouth, causing him to stumble backwards.

Yang threw a flurry of fists at Deces, which he either dodged or blocked. The hooded man then swung his weapon at the Huntress-in-Trains, but Yang rolled back was and avoided the halberd's strike. Deces then pulled on the trigger and unloaded the magazine at the brawler. However, the bullets all missed the girl, except one which only slightly grazed her arm. "Seems you have a bit of trouble with accuracy." The girl said in a very smart ass fashion. The man with the halberd simply growled and reloaded his weapon. Yang then ran forward and led with a right jab. This was dodged, but her left hook wasn't. Deces was slammed sideways, which Yellow took advantage of. She then pulled him up and sent the man flying out of the building with a shotgun enhanced punch. "He's all yours!" She called out as he went out the door.

"Ren, watch out!" Nora called out as the man in black came sailing towards him. The teen back flipped over the human projectile and watched him tear up a bit of pavement as he rolled.

"The kid and I can handle the new guy." John said talking about Deces as he pushed away more enemies.

"We can?" The teen asked.

"Sure we can, it's two against one." The Hunter said confidently. Deces then stood back up as the two blonde swordsman approached him.

Meanwhile, on the inside Ike and Victor were starting each other down. Ike could feel energy pulsing throughout his body. "What's this feeling?" He thought to himself.

"It's my power." Vesh answered form inside him. "I'm letting you use it, because you're no good to me dead."

"I guess I should thank you." The archer said to Vesh mentally.

"You should, but don't expect favors like this again."

"Are we just going to stand around all day, or is something else going to happen?" Victor asked.

"Your call." Blue replied.

"I like the second option." The man in red cracked his weapon once more, this time aiming for the student's head. Ike rolled under the weapon, but Victor spun it attempting to wrap it around the teen. The archer shot himself as high as the ceiling would allow, and aimed his bow downwards. He then unleashed and ice arrow, which connected to the end of the whip. Knowing that his protection from the electricity at the end of the weapon wouldn't last long, Ike shot himself back down to the ground, switching to his blades. He rolled upon landing and slashed upwards at the man. Victor dodged backwards and spun his weapon around himself. The chunk of ice made contact with the tang wielder's chest, knocking him off balance. Victor then shoulder checked the teen and send him tumbling backwards. "Is that all you got?" The man in red asked.

"Is that all we have?" Ike asked Vesh.

"Not by a long shot." His inner evil replied.

Jaune shield bashed the cloaked man, which was soon followed up by a slash of John's sword. Deces rolled backwards, away from the sword slash. Lamina then began to use his halberd's longer reach to keep the attackers at bay. He swung the axe end at John, who slapped the weapon down with his sword and rushed forwards. The robed man was forced to break his weapon into the two separate weapons. Deces swung his axe downwards at the Hunter, who blocked the strike with his shield. Jaune then slammed his shield into the man with the axe, sending his tumbling away. John ran forwards to make sure Deces couldn't get back up, but he was too late. The older swordsman reached his foe, who began firing his assault rifle. John brought his shield up to block the bullets. Deces then kicked the man's shield creating so distance. Lamina then began to unload his rifle into John's shield, while he fought off Jaune with his axe. The man with the axe swung his weapon sideways at the blonde, who rolled under the attack. Jaune then tried to reply with a stab at Lamina's thigh, but the man's axe blocked the strike. Deces spun his weapon and Jaune's and managed to disarm the teen. Jaune hide behind his shield as his enemy laid a relentless assault on him with his axe. Deces managed to cut Jaune's leg slightly, which scared the teen a bit. Lamina took advantage of this as he slammed his axe into the slide of Jaune's shield, moving it away from a defensive position. The man in the robe then kicked the teen in the temple sending him flying away. The older man then switched back to his halberd as John had finally reached him. Fortunately for John, he was already close to the halberd wielder and was able to land a slash against the man's chest. Deces made a small retreat as John helped Jaune back up to his feet. The two older men started each other down, before the two blondes man their rush.

Ike spun and kicked Victor in the side of the head, sending the man tumbling across the room. Vesh's power had increased Ike's strength, speed, and reaction time by a large margin, but the evil side of the teen was easily showing. As Ike approached the man, he even looked menacing. Victor got back up to his feet, and spun his weapon around himself once more, and Ike ducked under it. The man in red then cracked it like a whip, and hit the archer in the chest with a small spark. This stunned Blue long enough, allowing the man in red to wrap the copper around the teen. Electricity sparked though the boy's body, as his legs began to give out. "You really can't do anything can you?" Vesh asked Ike. That's when the darker half took over as much as he could. Vesh began to push Ike's arms out wards. Ike might've felt the pain, but the darker half couldn't as he continued to push the metal to its limits. Seeing that his weapon was about to break, Victor unraveled the teen and stood ready to attack once more. "Now fight for Monty's sake." The darker half ordered. Victor cracked his whip once more, but the blue archer caught the electric weapon at the metal ring at the end. He then ripped the weapon out of the man in red's hands and charged forward. Ike then slashed a horizontal cut across the man's chest. He then spun and cut a second gash into the man. He then cut an X into the man, and brought his weapons straight up. Despite the barrage of slashes, his aura hadn't given way yet. The tang wielder used Ichor to cut diagonally across the man, which he followed with a diagonal slash from Nero the opposite direction. He followed this with two hard kicks. As he went to stab the man in red into the chest with Nero, but Victor grabbed the weapon. The leader then went to punch Ike with a right hook to the face, but Ike stopped the attack by deflecting it with the flat of his blade. Ike finished off his bombardment with a kick to the chest, sending the man skidding across the room. Victor's aura had dropped dangerously low, had a few broken bones, and most likely some internal bleeding. Badly injured, the man in red stood back up to his feet and grabbed his weapon once more. Ike rushed forward and kicked the man in the chest, sending him skidding backwards. The weapon's wire began to stretch out, and Ike fired his volatile ice arrow into it. A giant wall of ice formed up, trapping the weapon inside. Ike walked up to the man who was trying to free his weapon. When Victor saw the archer, he threw a sloppy right hook, which Ike ducked under and delivered a punch to the stomach. The man doubled over, and Blue kicked him down onto his back.

Ike began to approach the injured man, Ichor raise, but then abruptly stopped. "Times up." A voice in his head said. That voice? Vesh. Ike began to sweat and shiver at the same time. All color left his body leaving him completely pale. He was going into shock. Then his legs felt like they couldn't support themselves anymore. The teen collapsed to the ground. Victor saw his opening and slowly returned to his feet. He was ready to attack the blue archer, but Ruby stood in defensive of her boyfriend.

"How touching." The man commented. As he spat a bit of blood. "Looks like this isn't either of our last days. Everyone! We're retreating! Now!" The man yelled.

Deces rolled over John's shield and kicked the Hunter in the back. Lamina then blocked a slash from Jaune with his halberd and kicked him away as well. He then heard his boss call for a retreat. "I guess our fun's over." The hooded man said. He then turned around and ran away from the battle. Along with the remaining nine agents, the halberd wielded, and the man in red, who was being carried by one of the agents, disappeared ran past the raid team, out of the gate, and into the forest.

Yang was ready to chase after the men, but Blake stopped her. "We're just going to let them run?!" She asked.

"The evac ship is being attacked, so we won't have much time left, also Ike's in no shape to move." Blake answered. The brawler then looked over to the archer to see him on the ground shaking, with Ruby and Sapphire next to him.

"Everything's going to be okay Ike." Ruby assured him. "I'm right here next to you."

"He's going into shock." Sapphire said to herself as she acted as a field medic.

Ike then took in a big breath, and his vision went black.

"Times up boy. I warmed you, but you didn't listen." Vesh said inside of Ike's head.

The teen on the ground then took in another deep breath and sat straight up.  
"Ike, are you okay?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, I'll be just fine." The teen replied, only it wasn't Ike talking. It was Vesh.

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**And that is the end of season 1. Man it was quite a ride, and Ike accomplished nothing did he? Wow, that's kinda horrible. Anyways, I will start up season 2 soon, and it will we under this title, so just be ready for whenever this story updates next. I'm going to take around a 2 week break, so that I can give the writing part of my brain a bit of rest. Season 2 will start up with an intro like season 1 did, so that's your divider. Most likely it'll just be titled Season 2: Intro. Futhermore, I want to that you all for the support you have given me throughout writing this. At the time of posting this, this story has 12,000 view, 46 favs, and 50 follows, so thank you all so much. I really never expected this story to become as big as i is now. Honestly, when I posted the first chapter I thought "I might get a thousand views from this story if I'm lucky." You guys certainly blew my expectations out of the water. Yet again, thank you all so much and I'll see everybody in season 2. That's were it'll get fun.**


	22. Intro: Season Two

**I'm back! I've enjoyed my break, but it is nice to start writing again. That being said, sorry about the lenght of this one. I just thought it was a nice place to stop, so without further ado, enjoy :D**

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It was a black, moonless night where a lone figure stood in the middle of the forest. He was only silhouetted by the small amount of light that the stars produced, but you could still see the form of two blades on his hands. That's when a bone chilling howl was released from somewhere in the woods, but the lone person seemed unfazed. As a figure of a giant wolf sprang from the bushes, but figure turned and slashed in in half. The two halves fell on either side of him as he got into a combat stance and readied himself for the next attacker. "Let me have it you dumb brutes." Vesh said to himself. Vesh, knowing that nobody was around, let his body's normally blue eyes be consumed by darkness until they were black. **(Normally Vesh will look just like Ike did, that is unless I decide to change his appearance.)**

Somewhere inside of a major town sat an arena. Inside this area people were able to fight for prizes, and lien. Only they had to fight Grimm, and death was a very common workplace issue. Today a teenager with blue hair stood inside of the arena. Unarmed. "Are you ready combatant?" A man said over the loud speaker. The boy simply nodded. "Are you ready audience?" His answer was a loud roar from the crowd. "The let's begin!" The gate in front of the teen opened up, and a pair of red eyes appeared. The Ursa inside then charged at the teen, who rolled out of the way. "They never said this was safe." Ike thought to himself. He was curious how he had thoughts though. After all, he was inside his own head.

Vesh spun on the heel of his right foot and slashed down another Beowolf as it attacked. The pack, and the Beowolf Major leader had encircled the teen, and it was obvious they were in for a fight. As Vesh looked at the leader of the pack, he simply smiled a very unnerving smile. Had the beast had even a small brain, it would've felt fear and ran off at that point, but it didn't. The Major let out another howl into the night, telling the pack to attack. As the first one pounced, Vesh rolled out of the way and brought Nero up through its stomach. The second charged forward as fast as it could, and Vesh launched himself into the air, well over the Creature of Grimm. The Beowolf that had charged ran into another, and Vesh saw this as a chance to kill two birds with one stone. Before he landed, he switched to Aeolus. When his feet hit the ground, he notched an arrow and shot at the back of the Beowolf's head. The arrow went sailing through the heads of both wolves, killing them both.

Ike stood in the boxer's stance that Yang had taught him back at his time at Beacon. The Ursa charged once more, and swiped one of its paws at him. The teen ducked under the strike and landed a hard right jab to the bear's head. The beast stumbled backwards, and Ike took advantage of this, and Jumped into the air. As he reached the pinnacle of his jump, he flipped forward and plummeted towards the ground. The teen with Blue hair crushed the creature of Grimm's head under his foot with a satisfying crunch. The head of the beast exploded outwards, and the rest of the body lay lifeless at the teen's feet. "Well that was… unexpected." The announcer said. "Congrates to our victor Ike!" The crowd once again roared as Ike walked out of the arena.

Meanwhile as Vesh slaughtered Grimm, Teams RWBY and JNPR were worried about the teen whom they thought was Ike. "How late is he going to be out there?" Ruby asked as she looked out her window.

"Well, he probably wants to let out a bit of steam. If I just let the guy who killed my brother I wouldn't be too happy either." Yang answered.

"Ya, I know. I just wish I could help more." Ruby said sadly.

Back out in the woods, Vesh Stabbed his blade through the head of yet another Beowolf. He then flipped backwards over another Grimm as he decapitated the Beast. By that time all that was left was the leader of the pack. The Creature of Grimm began to retreat back into the woods. Vesh switched back to Aeolus and notched an arrow. He then fired into the back of the beast's head and watched the arrow sail through the Grimm's head as it dropped lifeless. "This is too easy." Vesh said to himself as his eyes changed back to their brilliant blue. "I should probably head back and put my disguise back on." The teen then turned around and proceeded to walk back towards the academy.

Ike sat down in front of the bar he usually treated himself to after a pay day. The owner of the fight pit had paid him the normal 500 lien he made from his fights. Unfortunately, the money he was making wasn't enough. The blue haired teen had been inside his own head for around a week now, and he still couldn't afford weapons to be able to start pushing back the darkness inside of his own head. "The usual?" The bartender asked.

"Ya, thanks Mitch." Ike replied. The teen combed his hands through his hair and the rested his forehead against the bar.

"Aren't you a bit young to be in a place like this?" A man asked. Only Ike recognized that voice. It was a voice he couldn't forget. It was James. Ike looked up to see his brother looked somewhat different from when they had last been together. His hair and eyes had retained their respective black and hazel colors and his facial features hadn't changed, except for the small goatee on him chin, but he was dressed differently. He wore a green undershirt that was similar to the color of his eyes. On top of that, he wore a steel chest plate, which was attached to a shoulder guard that only covered his left shoulder. He wore a pair of black pants, which had two metal guards protecting his hip bones. Along with those guards, he wore a pair of shin guards and steel boots. "Did ya miss me?" Ike's twenty-one year-old brother asked.

Ike, who was in complete disbelief, asked, "Is that really you?"

"As close as I can get to being real. I'm just a memory, but your mind changed my looks around a bit." He said with a smile.

"Close enough." The blue haired teen then ran up and hugged his brother. Even though he knew James wasn't real, he was still happy to see his brother. James returned the hug and the two sat there for a while.

Eventually the two separated and sat down at the bar. "So where you been staying at?" James asked.

"Just at some old apartments, I can't really afford to buy anything else. Or weapons for that matter."

"Well that's no good. Don't worry though, I do have an idea on how to get you some cash." James said with a somewhat evil smile.

"I have a feeling I don't like this." Ike said.

A few hours later Ike found himself looking up at the nest of a Nevermore, who was circling it. Ike was holding a red sword with jagged edges. "I knew I wouldn't like this." The younger brother said.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine." James then slapped his brother on the back and started heading towards the face of the cliff.

"Well, at least I have him back."

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**Yay! James is back! Like always, I'll follow the story line for a bit, but I'll throw in a few extra scenes as I see fit. Also, I'll be posting a new story in the Sword Art Online universe, so if you love that show as well, make sure to check it out as well. As always, message me any questions you might have, and don't forget to leave a review and send me some messages. Until next time :D**


	23. Season 2: Chapter 1: Changing Places

**Hey everyone! I don't really have anything to talk about, but ya know, this is a regular sized chapter, so enjoy :D**

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Vesh scrolled through the news on the screen in front of him. "Break in. Robbery. Assault. White Fang." He said boredly. He then looked down at his clothing, and was disgusted with it. He was still wearing Ike's old clothes, attempting to act like the person who actually owned the body. "I should really get something new he thought." Team RWBY was stilling at the lunch table along with him, with one missing leader. Team JNPR was at full attendance at the table across from them though.

"Whatcha doing?" The blonde asked her partner.

"Nothing." She answered. "Just going over notes from last semester."

"That's a lie." Blue thought. **(And yes, when I say Blue in the real world, I mean Vesh. In Ike's head it's Ike. Basically all of Ike's names will transfer over to Vesh.) **

Nora then threw a grape at Yang, which the blonde caught in her mouth. "Lame!" She said. The pink clad girl then launched another grape, which Yang yet again caught in her mouth. Ruby then slammed a giant binder on the table startling everyone except for Vesh. The young girl then began a speech that obviously had parts of it stolen from someone else. Vesh didn't really care though as he continued looking through the news hoping to find any clues on Victor. While the criminal never did anything to cross the dark half, he was also a person that would likely get in his way. Also, he hated crooks who only do assassination mission, especially when their killing off other criminals. There were a few things that seemed to be the work of Victor, but they were all over the world. The teen then heard Yang make a horrible pun, and was appropriately rewarded with a tomato to the face.

"This is getting me nowhere!" Vesh thought angrily as he closed his scroll and slammed it into the table.

"Ike, are you okay?" His girlfriend asked worried.

"Ya, I'm just fine." He said with a hint of anger to his voice. He looked up to see Yang looking for something to throw.

"If this is about Victor, don't worry. We'll catch him." She said trying to cheer the person she thought was her boyfriend up.

"I know, I just want to get rid of him soon."

"Well, how about we get your mind off of it with the BEST DAY EVER!" She said cheering. She then began to talk about the next semester about to start, but Vesh didn't really care. After a while, the brawler angrily threw an apple, which caught Vesh's attention. He decided to start listening in case a fight broke out. He wouldn't want to miss a chance to throw down a bit.

"I don't know." Blake said. "I think I might sit this one out."

"Are you still upset about the whole White Fang thing?" Vesh thought to himself. "Ehh, it's probably that guy she's always drawing." Yes, Vesh knew about Adam. He occasionally stole glances at Blake's 'notes' and always saw the same person drawn. They were most likely a White Fang member.

"Sit out or not, I think however we spend this last day, we should do it as a team. Plus you Ike." The heiress said.

"Nice of you to think of me Weiss." Vesh said sarcastically.

The white haired girl stood up as Nora said something at the other table. "Hey you're the person who's meant to be a solo Hunt…" That's when a pie hit her face, which brought a smile to Vesh's. Everyone at the two tables got quiet, except for Vesh who was laughing. The pie thrower herself tried blaming Ren.

"That's a nice look Weiss." The archer said through his laughing.

"You guys are so DEAD!" Weiss roared as she picked up the nearest pile of food and threw it at Nora, which just so happened to be mashed potatoes. The flying food hit the Huntress-in-Training in the face.

"This should be fun." The evil teen thought as a malicious smile tugged at his lips. Chaos soon ensued, and somehow Jaune got thrown into a window and stuck there comically. As teams RWBY and JNPR along with Vesh increased the food fight's intensity, students fled from the mess hall. Team JNPR built a fort out of tables and soda machines.

Standing at the top, Nora chanted, "I'm queen of the castle."

Ruby slammed her foot on a table and said, "Justice will be swift! Justice will be painful!" She then smashed the milk carton in her hand. "It will be delicious!" At this team RWBY rallied. "Ike, your with us right?" Vesh had been on team RWBY's half of the cafeteria, but smiled evilly yet again.

"Sorry, like Weiss said. I'm a solo Hunter-in-Training." The teen then launched himself backwards and secured a table full of food. "Alright, just try not to hurt them, and you can still enjoy this." That's when Team JNPR began launching watermelons at the opposing team. Vesh picked up two bread sticks and decided that they'd be a good enough substitute for Ichor and Nero. He then charged at the person closest to him, which just happened to be one Jaune Arc who was just hit by two flying turkeys.

Vesh hit Jaune in the side of his head, sending the teen spinning. He then followed this up with a kick to the chest, that sent the boy flying with an appropriate, "Owwwww." Ruby sent Pyrrha falling backwards, and into the duel wielder who skid to a stop. The girl jumped back to her feet and grabbed a bread stick. The two teens the rushed at each other. Just before their 'weapons' connected, Vesh dove over his opponent and smacked her in the back of the head with his bread stick. As Pyrrha turned around she was greeted with a flurry of bread attacks. The girl knocked one the Vesh's sticks away, but was hit in the stomach by the other. The boy then hit her with it like a baseball bat, sending her sailing. In the meantime, Nora had recreated her hammer with a watermelon and a metal pole she found somewhere. The hammer wielder then knocked Weiss into a pillar. RWBY's leader rushed to save the heiress from being crushed by the giant piece of wall. Ren and Yang then matched up as Vesh squared off verses Blake. The two swordsmen had the exact same weapons, and rushed at each other. Blake led off with a diagonal slice, which Vesh parried and responded with a counter attack. Just before the makeshift weapon hit the girl, she shadowed backward. She then reappeared behind the dark half of Ike and swung at his head. Vesh rolled forwards and pivoted on his heel. He swung on piece of bread at the girl, but was blocked. He swung the other one only to be blocked again. He then swung upwards, and Blake shadowed away again, but Vesh propelled himself forwards and tackled her. The two tumbled around, before Vesh threw the girl away. Ren lost to Yang, but Nora had won the battle of the power houses. Blake quickly got up and picked up a chain of sausage, and proceeded to knock Nora away. Upon impact of the vending machines, soda poured out and Nora used them as grenades. Vesh kicked the girl away, and began hitting the cans like baseballs. Pyrrha used her semblance and picked up the soda. Seeing that things were about to go south, Vesh jumped behind a table and used it as cover. This was soon blown away by the whirlwind that Ruby created. He himself was also thrown next to team JNPR. As hurricane Ruby passed by, Vesh got back up and mega jumped over the cans, which plastered team JNPR to the wall. Vesh landed and decided to win this fight quickly. Weiss was already incapacitated, Yang had yet to return to the ground after Nora's mega hit, and Ruby was unarmed. Simply enough. Blake used her sausage whip to try to hit the teen. **(That sounds wrong, but I don't care.) **The bread wielder dodged the strikes and batted the Faunus away with his grain based weapon. Ruby threw a leek at him, which he caught. He then threw it back and hit the girl in the head. Ruby stumbled backwards and fell onto her back, ended the fight with Vesh's victory. He then noticed Sun and another guy, who was covered in pop, standing near the entrance. Then a very angry Glynda Goodwitch burst through the doors.

With a scowl on her face, Professor Goodwitch began repairing the destroyed room. She placed every table back in its place until the final table bounced its way back into place. "Children please. Don not play with your food." She said in a very aggressive tone.

"Oh great, she's gonna yell at us." Vesh thought to himself sarcastically. Everyone then gathered near the tables, and the blonde who used turkeys to fight fell through the ceiling and smashed through one of the tables. This caused all of team RWBY to begin laughing, but only seemed to upset the Headmistress even more. However, Ozpin walked up and calmed her down. Yang gave everyone a thumbs up, signaling she was fine, and the headmaster departed.

-Meanwhile in Ike's head-

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ike called out to his brother. The two were currently climbing up the face of a cliff. Why? Because there was a Nevermore at the top that was terrorizing the local town, and it had a bounty on its head. The issue was, Ike had a weapon he wasn't familiar with. Or ever used. Or ever used something like it. He had a great sword strapped to his back, and that was all it was. Weapons that used dust were still too expensive for either of the brothers to buy. James, who was a bit ahead of his brother, had a giant two handed axe on his back, while yet again had no gun form or dust infused.

"Ya, just don't look down." James called back, and even though Blue couldn't see his face, he knew he had a stupid smile.

"Great advice." Blue replied sarcastically. The two pressed onwards, until Ike noticed something odd. The Nevermore was circling the nest anymore. That meant it was either in it or… That's where his train of thought was ended by a hail of giant feathers. One narrowly missed his head, which made Ike think what would happen if he died inside his own head. Most likely, he would simply be erased from his own head, which meant he would just die. "Watch out!" He called as another wave of feathers attacked. As one penetrated the wall next to him, he was reminded of how a certain Faunus approached killing one of these beasts. He pulled himself onto the giant feather and launched himself into the air. He flailed slightly as he flew, but pulled out his sword and stabbed it into the beast's wing.

"Good idea there." James said as held onto the wall. He then used his semblance, which was similar to Ike's, except instead of super charging his legs, James could super charge his arms. Using this, James pulled down on the rock he held onto. This launched him into the air, and grabbed onto a feather. He spun around the feather and let go. He then sailed through the air, and latched onto the wing that Ike wasn't on.

Ike hung on to the weapon for dear life, as the Nevermore trashed trying to get rid of the brothers. Eventually, Blue's jagged weapon started becoming dislodged. "Oh, Monty no." As the bird flapped its wing upward, the weapon was ripped from the bird's wing, and Ike was thrown into the air. With his weapon still in hand, the teen flipped through the air and over towards the other wing.

"I got ya." James said as he released one hand and grabbed onto his brother. "Now get up there." As the wing was brought upwards, James threw his brother onto the back of the beast. Ike stabbed the sword into the Grimm's back and used it to stay on. This caused the winged Grimm to howl out in pain. James then pulled himself up to the back on the beast, and got an idea. He drew his giant axe, and began to slash at the bird's back. Ike then began to walk towards the head of the bird, stabbing into its back with each step. Eventually, Blue got to the Grimm's head, and stabbed his swords into the Nevermore's eye. The beast, yet again, let out a screech of pain, but this time it caused something much worse to happen. It brought a second Nevermore. The second beast slammed its wing into James, who managed to grab onto the feathered beast. This is when Ike got an idea. He stabbed into the second eye of the Grimm, blinding it. He then began to rapidly attack the right side of its body. The giant bird banked left, and began to head directly towards the bird that his brother was on. James pulled himself up onto his bird as the two Nevermores began approaching each other. The older brother threw his axe, and stuck it into the side of Ike's beast. Ike then banked his Grimm sideways, and began another pass towards James. James, in the meantime, was using his semblance to pound onto the Nevermore's body. As the beast's passed each other once more, Ike brought the axe up, and stuck it into the wing of the Grimm his brother was on. The Nevermore James was on didn't turn back, but Ike was gaining fast on it, and James used a flurry of swings on the Grimm's wings to slow it down. As the blind bird was positioned below the second one, James dropped, and landed on the back of the blind Grimm. Ike then angled the beast towards the cliff side, and the second one followed.

As the Nevermore approached the cliff, with a second close behind. The brothers' got into position for their plan. The pair was laying down on the head of the bird. James was holding onto the Grimm's feathers, while Ike was holding onto James's feet. As the beast crashed into the cliff, the older brother's semblance kicked in and he held on, while the younger of the two was thrown into the cliff. Ike's feet touched the wall, and he kicked off. The blind bird came sailing into the second one, and the birds' beaks pieced each other, killing both. As the bird began to dissolve and the brothers began to fall with them, James ripped out one of the feathers and hung onto one end. James then kicked his brother up, who flipped in the air and grabbed onto the other. The pair began to slowly float down as they let out cheers.

Eventually, they touched ground and high fived. "So how do we prove that we killed it?" Ike asked.

His brother looked up and smiled. "Get an egg?"

"Screw that! You're getting that on your own." Ike then began to walk away as James protested.

Ike sat in his apartment doing nothing. That's when James kicked open the door and dropped a giant egg on the ground outside of it. "Did it!" He practically sang.

"How heavy is that?!" Ike asked.

"Only a hundred pounds or so. Would've been easier if you helped."

"Ya, let's just get our money." Blue said as he got up.

"You're carrying it this time though." His brother replied. Ike struggled to pick up the egg, but eventually did.

"How'd you get his down the cliff?" Ike managed to say.

"I kicked it off with a parachute on it." James replied bluntly.

The pair collected their money from the bounty, which ended up being just over enough to buy a couple of weapons for the pair. "Hey, if I can just remember everything, why can't I just remember more money?" Ike asked.

"Probably because you can only remember how much money you've ever had, which obviously wasn't much."

"We always did buy stupid stuff." Ike said with a laugh.

"Ya, like that mannequin you bought for the room. That thing scared the shit out of me for months." **(Yes, I have a mannequin and its awesome thank you very much.)**

As the pair looked though the weapon shop, Ike was amazed what he saw. On the wall hung weapons such as Yang's gauntlets, Ruby's scythe, Roman Torchwick's cane, and more. "They look familiar?" James asked.

"Ya, they're all from the people I know in the real world. Wait, does that mean that they're all here."

"Doubt it, only dead people are here for some reason. Then there's just random people that are in here for some reason." James replied.

"Does that mean that mom and dad are here?" Ike asked hopeful.

"Yes, but it's no use. They'll only remember you how you were and I doubt they'll recognize you, and they can't be convinced that it's you either." James replied somewhat depressed.

Blue strolled through the store a bit more, until he found the perfect set of weapons hanging on the wall. There hung Ichor, Nero, and Blue Ruhe. The teen picked up the weapons, and realized that Ichor and Nero could still change to Aeolus. The set also came with his old quiver and the remaining volatile arrows that Ozpin had given him. "Those look familiar." James commented.

"Ya, they do." Ike then realized that his brother had Red Mortem in one hand, and Deces's halberd slung over his shoulder.

"Does it suit me?" He asked.

"Sure does."

"Then I think we'll all set."

"What're you gonna name them?" The archer asked as he paid for the weapons.

"Well, you already named Red Mortem, as for the axe how about Klingen Ruhm?"

"Sounds good." The pair then walked out the door when a familiar voice hit Ike's ears. Again.

"Well if it isn't then man who killed me." He said. Ike turned to face Eisenhower. **(He looks like Zihark from Fire Emblem if you don't remember)** The teen pulled out his blades, but James gestured for him to lower them.

"No person here will try to hurt you." He said.

"I guess I did deserve it though." Eisenhower said as he approached the two. "So, why are you here?" He asked. Ike then explained his situation to his old friend. "Well, I've never fought a Grimm, but I can always try to help." He said.

"That's kind of you, but we can't afford weapons for you." Ike retorted.

"No need." The man replied, as he showed off his usual black cubes.

"How'd you…" The teen was then cut off.

"Afford them?" Eisenhower finished.

"You only have as much money as you remember them having. The higher-ups always had plenty." James answered.

"Well, I guess we have a third general in our army against the Grimm." Ike replied with a smile.

However, three generals wouldn't be a big enough army to retake Ike's head.

**And Eisenhower is back too. those are probably the only main characters that will come back, unless I get enough people wanting more people back. I can only be dead people though. I hope most chapters won't involve both Vesh and Ike and more or less focus on one, but who knows what will happen. Also, if you haven't checked out my SAO story, In Hope of Defense, and are a fan of the show go ahead and check it out. And if you haven't seen it before then... HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN A CAVE?! Anyways, as always drop a review and send me some pms I always love talking to everyone. **


	24. Chapter 2: All for One! Almost

**Hey everyone! How are you all? I'm good thanks for asking. Actually, I really want at least one person to send me a message saying, 'I'm fine, and yourself?' That'd be awesome. Anyways, nothing has really changed in my life, but is anyone else getting Halo Master Chief Collection? I'm really excited, but that's about it, so enjoy :D**

* * *

The group of nine sat in the library. While Vesh continued his never ending research on trying to find Victor. Throughout that time, he did find someone who interested him a bit, and whose name was constantly brought up in the news. Roman Torchwick. While Ike had always despised the man, Vesh was more interested him. The man, and his partners, would make a valuable asset to Vesh if he ever wanted to become a crime lord, but at the same time Torchwick was very flashy in his work. This was yet another thing that Vesh hated. Plus, their motives were only completed by the White Fang, who was simply a bunch of delinquents in the dark half's opinion. While Roman could be powerful, he was also very dumb and would most likely get in his way. Therefore, there was yet another thing the two very different halves of the same mind agreed on. A hate of Roman Torchwick.

Team RWBY, in the meantime was planning some kind of strategy game, and team JNPR was actually doing something productive. The dark archer chose to stay around team JNPR. While he didn't enjoy their company, they were the best of a bad situation. While Jaune was foolish, Nora was childish, and Pyrrha was annoyingly helpful, Ren was the person he disliked the least. At least the magenta eyed boy didn't talk constantly like everyone else, with the exception of Blake, but she was too secretive for his liking. Plus she appeared to slowly be going crazy and was constantly trying to figure people out. She wasn't bad at this, it was just that Vesh was far better at it. "Yang Xiao Long! PREPARE YOUR KINGDOM FOR WAR!" Ruby all but screamed. In a library. Ruby annoyed Vesh almost as much as Nora did. He could end the relationship Ike had with the girl, but that would raise a large amount of suspicion, and then he would lose the only people he could trick into helping him. He couldn't understand why Ike would even like these people, but then again the blue haired teen was his complete opposite.

"BRING IT ON!" Yang did somewhat shout. This pattern continued for quite a while, annoying Vesh to the breaking point. Ultimately, it was Weiss's stupidity with the idiotic game that pushed him over. It wasn't that hard if she actually cared, which she didn't. Vesh opted to not play, and she could've as well. That's what annoyed him. If she wasn't going to actually try, then don't participate. Plus, the stuck up attitude of the heiress never stopped driving him insane. Luckily, the older sister picked out White's next turn, almost giving her the win. This led to an evil laugh from the ice princess, which upset Vesh, because she wasn't even evil. She wanted to be a Huntress! Yang shut her up though with a trap card though and destroyed her army, which brought a smirk to the evil teen's face. Jaune then intervened wishing to play, but was shut down by Ruby. He then unintentionally let everyone know, that Wiess had told team JNPR Blake was a Faunus.

"Real smooth there Jaune." Vesh thought to himself. Then Neptune was introduced, and pointed out that libraries were meant for reading.

"Thank you!" Ren called out.

"PANCAKES!" Nora shouted as she woke up.

"Yes, they are." Vesh said calmly as he closed his scroll and walked up to the new teen. "I'm Ike by the way." He said lying. He then stuck out his hand, which the other blue haired teen shook.

"Neptune, nice hair color by the way."

"Thanks, I like yours too." The darker half said trying his best to act like Ike would. Throughout the years of being in the teen's head though, he had learned all of his mannerisms, and could impersonate the good half with ease.

"You guys are being nerds." Sun pointed out.

"I believe the term you're looking for is intellectual." The archer pointed out.

"Thank you! Finally someone understands that!" The teen with goggles said appreciatively.

"Like I said, nerd." Wukong said bluntly.

"Anyways, I'm Neptune." The teen said with a wave. **(HA wave.)**

"So, Neptune, where are you from?" Weiss asked.

"Haven…" He replied. "And I don't believe I've caught your name, snow angle" He continued walking over to Weiss.

"You have got to be kidding me." Vesh thought.

"Umm… I'm Weiss." She replied.

"Are you kidding me?!" Jaune said.

"My thoughts exactly." The archer said to the swordsman.

The two newcomers then continued their conversations with team RWBY's members, while Vesh ignored Jaune. "I mean, I use that line on her and she practically bites my head off, but when Mr. Blue Hair here does it…" Jaune then realized who he was talking to. "No offense, it works just fine. If you're going to turn someone down…" The blonde rambled on for a while, but Blue's dark side didn't really care. Blake eventually stood up, and just walked out of the room, silencing everyone.

Nora filling the silence by simply saying, "Women."

"Well, I'll be happy to take her spot." Neptune said sitting down.

"Wait, I called dibs!" Jaune protested.

"Sorry Jaune." Ruby said. Jaune got a dejected look on his face, which touched Yang's soft spot.

"Come here vomit boy, we can team up." The female half of Team Blonde said.

"Wait, if we get teammates then I want Ike!" Ruby said.

"Fine, you can have Ike. Not like he'll make a difference." The brawler said mumbling the last bit but Vesh still heard it.

"I think you'd be amazed by my strategic abilities." The archer said leaning over Ruby's shoulder. Why would he join the game? Vesh knew he could annihilate everyone else, and simply wanted to be done with the game.

"Me and Neptune are together." Sun said as he high fived his teammate.

"Then who's with me?" Weiss asked. You could hear a cricket chirping in the silence.

"Fine, I'll do it." Nora said as she drug herself next to Weiss.

-Later that Night-

"Why'd we have to do teams!?" Yang said angrily as she walked through the door to the team's room.

"Didn't you start it by adding Jaune to your team?" Weiss asked.

"Ya, but he was nothing compared to Ike!" Yang argued.

"Your just mad cause Ike and I crushed you." Ruby said holding onto the arm of whom she thought was Ike.

"At least you didn't have Nora. All she wanted to do was invest everything in cookies and ice cream!"

"There are no cookies or ice cream in that game." Red pointed out.

"EXACTLY!" Weiss roared.

As the two sisters talked about the game a bit more and Vesh laid down in her bed, Blake began to walk away. Weiss then pointed her finger at the Faunus and said, "Stop." Blake was about to lay her fingers on the door knob, but curled them back up. "Lately you've been quiet, anti-social, and moody." Weiss said.

"That's not really new." Vesh said.

"Which I get, is kind of your 'thing'." She continued on without even bothering to recognize Vesh. "But you've been doing it more than usual, which quite frankly, is unacceptable. You made a promise to me." She said.

"Which she'll break." Blue thought.

"To all of us."

"Not me!" The dark side's thoughts said.

"That you would let us know if something was wrong." This is where she got far more assertive. "So, Blake Belladonna! WHAT! IS! WRONG!?" She said all of this as she flipped into the air and landed on a chair. A chair that mysteriously, with the help of Vesh, was tipped over causing the heiress to go face first into the ground. The archery got a cheap laugh from this, and was lucky that nobody saw his foot lift the chair. Weiss was finally figuring out something that Vesh had known for a while. Blake was hiding something. He simply figured that the ice princess chose this time to bring it up due to the absence of team JNPR, whom were still in the library. Weiss got back up, with an angry look on her face, and regained her stuck up look by placing the chair next to the wall. The girl in white then began to circle her color opposite, who put up a weak defense.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The Faunus said calmly. This gave Vesh the opening he was looking for to cause mayhem.

"That's a lie." He said from his bed.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

"I mean that you know exactly what she's talking about." The teen with blue hair said as he begun to spin an arrow in his hand.

"I really don't." Black said, but her defense was obviously cracking.

"Oh really?" Vesh said as he sat up.

"Yes really." The girl with the bow replied angrily.

"Then why don't you show us your notebook then?" He asked with a smile. This seemed to push Blake a bit far.

"How do you know about my notebook?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Guys I think we all just need to calm down." Ruby said trying to keep the peace.

"I'm sorry Ruby, but that doesn't really seem possible." Her boyfriend said. "You see, the thing is throughout Blake's notebook, she has pictures of another Faunus. A Faunus I've never seen. He's most likely from the White Fang, and that's probably what's bothering her so much. They've been in the news more and more every day. Just look at reports, they all point towards the people many call terrorists. Not only that, but they're working with Torchwick, which makes them even more of a threat." Vesh said ending his monologue.

"Blake… Is this true?" Ruby asked.

"I just…" Blake stalled to find her words. "I don't understand how everyone can be so calm."

"So it is Torchwick?" Red asked.

"Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it! Something big is happening, and no one is doing anything about it!" Blake said.

"Ozpin told us not to worry." Yang pointed out.

"Ya, but Ozpin is pretty mysterious himself. Does anyone even know his name outside of that?" The archer asked getting no response. "Exactly."

"Well, between the police and the Huntsman, I'm sure they can handle it." Yang said.

"Well I'm not!" Blake yelled. "They don't know the White Fang like I do!"

"Yes, but you don't know Torchwick like they do." Vesh pointed out.

"Well without the White Fang Torchwick has nothing!" Black argued.

The archer then stood up. "Yes, but can we really take down something as big as this. We couldn't even take down Victor by ourselves. Trying to take down the White Fang and Torchwick would be suicide. Don't you get that!? We're just first year students. We can't do this alone." Vesh said. "At least you can't." He thought.

"He does have a point." Wiess said siding with Ike's darker half. "Between blowing up nightclubs, stopping thieves, and fighting for freedom, I'm sure the three of you think you're all ready to go out and apprehend these ne'er-do-wells… He's right. We're students. We're not ready to handle this sort of situation." Weiss said acting as a second voice of reason.

"Well, ya, but…" The scythe wielder was then cut off.

"We're not ready!" The heiress yelled.

"Sorry Ruby, but she's right. This isn't just training. This would be even harder than taking down Victor, and we still needed help from Huntsmen there." Vesh said.

"We never be ready!" Blake yelled. "Our enemies aren't just gonna sit around and wait for graduation day! They're out there, somewhere, planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready or not."

"Okay, all in favor of becoming the youngest Huntsmen who single-handedly bring down a corrupt organization conspiring against the kingdom of Vale… say 'aye'." Ruby said in one long breath

"Haven't we already tried that?" Vesh asked.

"No single-handely." Yang pointed out. "So, yes! I love it when you're feisty!"

"Well, I suppose it could be fun." The heiress said.

"You have got to be kidding me." The dark half said.

"None of you said, 'aye'." Rubes pointed out depressingly.

"Alright then… We're in this together." Blake said to the group with a smile.

"Let's hatch a plan." Red said happily.

"YEAH!" Her sister replied.

That's when Ruby remembered she had left her board game, which somehow applied here, and ran off to get it. Vesh stuck his head out the door to see her run into two people in black uniforms. A third then approached. The third newcomer looked oddly familiar to Vesh though. That's when it hit him. That was the woman who had kicked Ike off a ship the day he meet Ruby. The same woman who was most likely committing crime everywhere. The same woman who was aligned with Roman Torchwick. The blue haired teen then ran out the room to catch the end of their conversation. "I guess we just got turned around." The silver haired 'student' said.

"Don't worry, happens all the time." The girl said as the three people in black walked past her. "Your building is just east of here."

"Perhaps I should show them where it is." The archer said.

"No, that won't be needed." The leader of the three said.

"I insist." Vesh said as he began to walk with them. As they went along, their conversation seemed normal enough, but as they approached the living quarters, Vesh changed it in a completely different direction.

"… And that's how we all met." The green haired girl said.

"Cut the crap." Vesh replied.

"Excuse me?" the dark haired woman said.

"I said cut the crap. I know exactly who you are Cinder." The teen said.

"And what do you want?" Cinder asked angrily.

"To make you an offer. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders, but your friend Roman doesn't. Cut him, and I'll help you, or you can take your chances with me." The Beacon student then began to walk away. "Your choice."

"You aren't a regular student are you?" Cinder asked.

Vesh turned around and gave an evil smile. "Far from it."

-Later-

Teams RWBY and JNPR along with Vesh all sat in one of Port's lectures eying their clocks. Just a little bit left until the end of class. Port was chatting away, as always, and Jaune was unsuccessfully hitting of Weiss. Thankfully, the clock ticked over to 4:00 and class was ended. Jaune was shot down on every idea for a date except for the studying part, which he most likely didn't want to do. Jaune slammed his head into the desk as everyone simply walked past him. Vesh almost felt bad for the kid. Almost. At the same time he didn't, because it was the boy's own stupidity that got him rejected in the first place. When team RWBY returned to their dorm, they suited up to begin taking down the corrupt organization conspiring against the kingdom of Vale. Despite not wanting to do this, Vesh had to in order to look normal. At least he could change out of Ike's blue attire. Team RWBY settled on monochrome attire, and the archer followed suit. He wore a black duster, trimmed with white. **(Ya know what, I'm not even going to bother writing down the new look for him. It's Kirito's clothes from SAO. I can't write down what it looks like.) **Ichor and Nero remained at his arms, while his quiver rested on him back. "I thought that class would never end." Blake complained.

"Alright guys!" Ruby said in her usual cheerful tone. "Today's the day. The investigation, BEGINS!" The girl then jumped down from her top bunk.

"I'm glad to see we're taking this so seriously." The heiress said.

"Hey, we've got a plan." Yang pointed out. "That's moderately serious."

"I still think this is a horrible idea." The man in black said from his bed.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Ruby said to him. Vesh replied with a few mumbles, but nothing more. Team RWBY began to explain what their roles would be in the operation. Ruby and Weiss were to look for any more dust robberies, Blake would infiltrate a White Fang recruitment meeting, and Vesh and Yang were to go see Junior again. As Ruby said a few more encouraging words, Sun could be heard from outside the window.

Sure enough, the monkey Faunus was hanging right in front of it.

"How did you get up there?" Yang asked.

"It's easy, I do it all the time." He replied.

"YOU WHAT!?" The heiress asked/yelled.

"I climb trees all the time." Wukong said. "So are we finally getting back at the Torchwick guy?" He asked.

"We are going to investigate the situation." The cat Faunus said.

"Not that great of an idea huh?" Vesh said.

"What? No that's a great idea!" Sun said.

"Sorry Sun, but we don't want to get friends involved if we don't have to." Ruby pointed out.

"Then why is he coming?" Wukong asked pointing at Vesh.

"I asked myself the same thing." The archer replied.

"He's basically on our team." Red said.

"Well that's dumb. You should always get friends involved. That's why I brought Neptune." The blonde with a tail said.

Everyone looked out the window to see Neptune standing outside. Standing on a ledge.

"How did you even get up here?" The leader of team RWBY asked.

"I have my ways." The boy on the ledge said.

"Did those ways involve falling?" Vesh asked.

"Not at all." Neptune said coolly.

"Yes." Sun corrected.

"Only a few times." The teen outside said.

"It was seven." Sun replied.

"Would you just shut up and let me in! We're like really high up right now." The boy with goggles said.

"I got him." Vesh said. As he pulled the fellow blue haired teen in.

It was decided that Sun would go with Blake, because they were the only Faunus, and Neptune would go with Yang and Vesh, because he would be needed there more than with Ruby and Weiss. Weiss tried to convince Ruby to go with Yang so that she could be with Neptune, but Ruby laughed at this idea and drug the heiress away. "Well, time's a wastin." Yang said as she walked out the door. Vesh and Neptune drug themselves behind her.

"You really wanted to go with Weiss, didn't you?" The dark half asked Neptune.

"Ya, you really wish you didn't have to go don't you?" He asked back.

"Ya." The teen replied. They both then sighed in together.

The trio then arrived to Yang's bike, but there was an issue. It only seated two. "Well, looks like I can't go. Bummer." Vesh said as he tried walking away.

"Not so fast lover boy." Yang said as she grabbed his collar. "I have a plan." Yang then revealed an evil smile.

"I already don't like this." Vesh said.

As it turns out, she did have an idea. A horrible one. Vesh held onto a piece of rope, and stood on a piece of metal, which Yang had attached wheels to. However, Yang was a fan of going slow on her motorcycle. She was flying down the highway, as Vesh struggled to hold onto the rope and keep his balance. Eventually, Yang rounded the final turn, and screeched to a stop. Vesh then slammed into the sidewalk and was sent flying forward. "Opps, sorry." The brawler apologized.

"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT GOING SLOW!?" Vesh yelled.

"That I should do it?" Yellow asked.

"Exactly, but no what do you do? You drive like a manic as nearly kill me!" The archer said as he increasingly got angrier.

"Look I said I was sorry!" Yang roared.

"Ya, well sorry doesn't fix the trauma that I'm going to have from about twenty near death experiences!" Vesh yelled back. At this point, both teens were extremely close to each other.

"Well maybe you should change careers if you're worried about near death experiences!" The brawler yelled back. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but lately you've done nothing but been a jerk and I'm getting sick of it!" Yellow yelled.

Before the archer could respond, Neptune had recovered from the ride, and pushed the two apart. "Hey, we're not trying to kill each other so let's just all calm down. Remember, WAFFLEO."

"WAFFLEO?" Yang and Vesh asked.

"We're all friends, friends love each other. WAFFLEO" The teen with goggles said explaining the acronym.

"That's so stupid." Vesh said.

"It kinda is, but oh well. My friend is right in here." Yang said as she approached the door. The sound of music was evident within the building. The place looked oddly familiar to the evil teen.

"Where exactly is here?" Neptune asked. Before anyone could respond, two men shut the doors on the trio.

"That wasn't polite." The member of SSSN said.

"And neither is this!" Yang replied as she threw a right hook into the doors, opening them. The three Huntsmen-in-Training walked through, and the brawler said, "Guess whose back?"

This was answered by multiple guns being pointed at them. "Are you sure these people are your friends?" Neptune asked.

"No, No we aren't." Vesh replied.

* * *

**YAY Achievement Hunter reference! So it's become more apparent that Vesh hates everyone and doesn't really care if they know it. Also, I might need an OC or two in the near future, keyword might, so if you have any good ideas don't hesitate to send them in. That's about I'll I really have to say for today. Oh, I almost forgot, if you haven't watched video game high school I would highly recommend it. Other than that, there's nothing else, so don't forget to leave a review and send a pm. Bye everyone :D**


	25. Chapter 3: 1 out of 100: Part 1

**As I wrote this I remembered one thing. Lamina used a halberd, not an axe. I'm dumb. Sorry about that guys I'll be sure to go back and fix it when I have the time. Sorry again. Other than that I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. Assuming that you live in the US.  
**

* * *

Ike and the same hunting party he assembled walked down an all too familiar path. The party was made up of the blue haired teen, his brother, Eisenhower, and the members of the organization they could find scattered within Ike's head. There was fifteen of them in all.

Earlier that day, Ike learned how to retake the various parts of his head. Basically, Vesh had broken it into a hundred different sections, with the city that closely resembled Vale being number one. This was the only section that wasn't invested with Vesh's influence, but the creatures of Grimm weren't going to allow that to last long. Each section had Grimm infesting it, with a few alphas and one head of the section. It was basically an army, but armies can break down. The alphas acted as seconds in command to a piece of Vesh left behind to watch over them. Due to the fact that Vesh started taking over at section one hundred, his influence was strongest there, meaning that near the lower numbers, he was weaker. Basically, if the piece of Vesh was destroyed, the Grimm would no longer have a handler and simply disappear. **(Ya it's pretty video gameish, but it was my best idea. Sorry, but I kinda like it.)**

How was all of this known though, it came from a certain older brother. James.

As the team carried onwards towards the first piece of Vesh, Ike decided to ask James how he knew all of this. "Hey James."

"Ya little bro?" The halberd wielder asked.

"I wanted to ask you how you knew all about my head."

"Well that's pretty simple. I was here when Vesh was born."

"You were?" The blue haired brother asked.

"Sure was. I guess you could say I'm what caused him." James said about as lighthearted as he could.

"Wait, how does that make sense?"

"Well, when I died, I was placed here. Well, the real me wasn't, but you get the idea. Anyways, your head then used Vesh to try to control the hatred and everything that was built up inside of you. It was a defense mechanism. Therefore, I know all about how Vesh works, because I've been here with him the whole time. Plus, there actual something to the idea that brothers have a mental connection."

"Like the whole you hit one twin and the other feels it thing?" Blue asked.

"To an extent, ya." That's when they heard a loud roar. "And I'm guessing that's your other half now." James said as he rested his halberd on his shoulder. The other members of the hunting party drew their weapons as well. As they moved cautiously through the woods, Ike noticed something. "Hey, is this the Emerald Forest?" Ike whispered to James.

"Sure is. Your head used familiar locations for its map." He said.

"So this is basically Remnant?"

"No, just Vale. That's the only kingdom you've been to, so that's the only place it's mapped. Maybe if you got out a bit more…" He was then cut off by a Beowolf ambushing the party and killing one of the members. His name was Luna, Lima during his time with Victor. As Luna's body was cast aside, he slowly began to fade away. As did Ike's memory of him. "Circle up!" James ordered, which everyone followed.

Eisenhower was wielding twin short swords, and facing the direction in which they were heading. James and Ike stood side by side facing the way that they had come from. As another leapt from the bushes, James slashed upwards, decapitating it. Another sprang forward, which Ike quickly put an arrow into. This was followed by the teen putting a second one into the beast who had killed the man he no longer remembered. As the pack began to leap towards the group, Ike switched to Ichor and Nero and hacked away. He stabbed Nero through the chest of one, as he opened the stomach of another. James broke his weapon into its smaller forms, and began firing into the crowd of Beowolves. As one leapt towards him, the older brother spun, and hacked through it with the smaller halberd. As another attacked from the other side, a girl named Sienna, Sierra according to Victor, stabbed her knife through its head. James gave an appreciative nod to the girl and returned to fighting.

On Eisenhower's side things were about the same. As one Beowolf jumped towards him, he sidestepped, and slashed through both its stomach and neck at the same time. He then looked up, and saw something horrible running towards him. "RUN!" He called out, as he began the retreat.

He sprinted passed the brothers, who looked behind them to see what he was running from. It was a literal hoard of Beowolves. The brothers began sprinting behind Eisenhower, with the rest of the hunting party. As the Creatures of Grimm got closer, as did the protecting of Vale. Sienna, who was at the back of the party, was tackled by one of the beasts, as ripped to shreds. This caused her memory to leave Ike's head as well. "Keep running!" Ike called out, as he stopped and switched to Aeolus. He then got down on one knee, and notched one of his volatile lightning arrows. Blue took aim at the first Beowolf and fired. Lightning arced from the beasts, killing them, but the hoard didn't end and pressed onwards towards the hunting party. Ike sprinted towards them, and as he reached the first beast, he launched himself at it. The archer planted his feet onto the Creature of Grimm's head, and pushed off. This sent him rocketing towards the front of the retreaters, and the Beowolf sailing backwards into many of the other beasts.

Eventually, the thirteen survivors reached the gates of Vale, and ran back inside. Panting and doubled over, Ike said, "Well at least we didn't lose anyone." Everyone nodded in agreement. **(Ya, if someone dies nobody realizes it. This is because if Ike forgets someone, then they all forget that person.)**

"Well what now?" Eisenhower asked. "You saw the size of that army. Thirteen people can't kill that."

"He brings up a good point. There's too many of them." James said.

"Ya, I know. Just give me a second to think." The blue haired teen said. After a few seconds of considering their options he said, "You said this place is mapped out like my head, right?"

"Ya, why?" His brother asked.

"Just got an idea." Ike replied as he stood back up, and began walking into town with James and Eisenhower clos behind.

-Before Vesh Took Over-

"Do you even know where we're going?" Ike asked Ruby as she skipped around him.

"Nope!" She replied cheerfully in his ear. She then began walking normally next to him. "But that's the great part. Beacon is so big you have to get lost to explore it." She then interlocked her and in his.

"That's a horrible ideology. You know that right?" Her blue haired boyfriend said.

"That's what Yang always says, but she usually says, 'You're an idiot. An adorable one, but an idiot none the less.'"

"Wow, that's… pleasant?"

"I don't think that's the right word." Red replied. Then she let out a gasp and a small sound of excitement, before running down the path, dragging Ike along.

Once they mercifully stopped, and Ike regained his bearing, he realized where he was. A graveyard. "You have to find the creepiest place here didn't you?"

"What's the matter you scared?" Ruby teased.

"You know I'm not." Ruby then disappeared from in front of him, and crept behind him.

"Boo!" She said into his ear, which made him jump a bit. Ruby fell into a fit of laughter and said, "Thought you weren't scared?"

"Whatever." Ike grumbled.

"Oh, don't be such a poor sport. Look how cool this place is." Ruby then began exploring around, an accidently bumped into one of the graves. This caused a holographic projection of a man to appear in front of the headstone. It showed a man, who had a war hammer in his hands, similar to Nora's. "Who's this?" Ruby asked.

"His name was George Stoneguard." Ike said reading the name off the grave. "He was apparently the headmaster of Beacon years ago." Blue continued.

"Really, he doesn't look that old."

"The picture was probably taken back when he first took his role." That's when Ike began to look around and touched another headstone. This one displayed a young Faunus girl. "This graveyard is filled with pervious Beacon students, professors, and a few headmasters." He pointed out.

"Really? How have we never seen this?" The girl asked.

"It's kinda in a remote part of the academy."

"I guess you have a point." Red said.

-Back Inside Ike's Head-

Ike looked at the structure before him. It was a very close replica of Beacon academy, with a few imperfections in areas that he couldn't quite picture. "What's this place?" James asked.

"This, my dear brother, is Beacon Academy. This is where we can find our army." The blue haired teen said.

The blue haired teen walked into the front lawn of Beacon, to see plenty of students wandering around. They all wore Beacon uniforms, but many were different from others. It appeared that every once in a while the school's uniform would change. Ike walked through the halls of the school, and peeked his head in to what Ike remembered was Professor Port's class. Inside, multiple professor taught the students inside the class. "Ahem." A voice said from behind him. The trio turned around to see an older man behind them. Professor Stoneguard. "Can I help you?" He asked.

"Uhh… Ya. Can we talk to you for a second?" James asked.

"Yes you may. Please follow me." The man then turned around, and proceeded down the halls towards Ozpin's office. As he opened the door, there were multiple Headmasters sitting behind their respective desks. Ike counted ten including Professor Stoneguard, who sat down behind his desk. "You wished to talk to us?" He asked. All the headmasters looked up from their desks at the three.

"I didn't think there would be so many of them." Eisenhower whispered to Ike.

"Don't worry, I got this." He whispered back. The teen then stepped forward, and began speaking. "I have a proposition for you all." He began.

"Well let's hear it." The third headmaster replied.

"The Grimm are clawing at the walls of your city, and you can't stop them. While you can attempt to kill them, they'll only continue until everyone is dead. However, I know how to stop them."

"What're your terms?" Headmaster number six asked.

"I need your help as much as you need mine. So we help each other. I'll tell you how to rid yourself of Grimm, and in exchange you give me full access to any reasons your school has. This includes staff, students, materials, contacts, and even yourselves. My team of thirteen wasn't even close to being able to kill them Grimm closest to the city, meaning that we need you just as much as you need us. So the offer's on the table. Help us or die along with us."

The headmasters all looked at each other, before coming to a common decision without saying a word. "We'll help you." They said in unison.

"Excellent." Eisenhower commented. "We should probably talk to the stud…" He was then cut off by an alarm. "What the hell is that?" He asked.

"That would be the Grimm clawing at the walls, breaking through the wall." Ike said. "Get everyone ready, my team and I will start fending off the one's farthest into the city. Everyone else should start pushing the Grimm back as much as they can. We'll get to the wall as soon as we can." Ike and his companions then left the room as the headmasters nodded.

-Into Ike's Vale We Go!-

"What the hell is happening?" Another girl named Kelly asked. She wielded a small black rapier, which she used for quickness in a fight. Almost nobody could match her speed, except for maybe Ruby. As the trio ran passed the group of former agents. The ten still alive quickly fell into place behind them.

"Grimm just busted through the wall." James replied.

"We're killing anything getting too far into the city. Beacon's heading towards the wall right now." Ike finished.

"Beacon?" Tyrain asked. He used a giant two-handed sword in combat, which matched his giant sized body. **(If I just throw in a random name, then it's most likely a student or an agent. And all of the people introduced do follow the color name thing in RWBY. Thanks for making coming up with names a lot harder Monty.)**

"We'll explain later." Eisenhower answered as the group arrived in heart of the town. Citizens fled from the beasts that and invaded the town, but many were ripped to shreds. "Looks like go time." Eisenhower said as he matched Yang's gauntlets with his cubes.

"You've really gotten good with those haven't you?" The eldest brother asked.

"Sure have." The shape shifter replied with a smile as he charged into the frenzy of Grimm, the rest close behind.

Eisenhower threw his right fist into the jaw of a Beowolf amplified with a shotgun blast. He then pivoted on his right foot, and threw and uppercut into the next Grimm's jaw. **(They're all Beowolves, okay?) **"Let's see how good I am at this." He thought to himself. As the Beowolf flew in the air, the gauntlets disassembled back into their cube forms. The former Hunter then began to raise his left foot. He threw one cube at each foot, and they began to wrap around his boots. As the man's leg was nearly vertical, his body began to turn sideways a bit, allowing his limb to extend higher up. Just before the bottom of his boot connected to the Grimm's chest, the cubes finished their morph. He had turned them into a boot form of Yang's gauntlets. He fired the shotgun blast in his right shoe, launching him into the aim. He left foot finally connected, and released a second shotgun blast, punching a hole through the torso of the beast. His attack was ended with a quick handspring backwards as he landed, which ended with his crushing the head of another Beowolf.

Ike and James entered the fray side-by-side, and intended to use this to their advantage. James spun, and slashed through the body of one Creature of Grimm. He completed one full rotation and Ike ducked under his halberd. The older brother smashed the flat of weapon into the head of a second wolf, and continued his spin. Ike then turned, and kicked the flat of the halberd, sending his brother spinning the opposite way. The halberd wielder then released his weapon, letting it cut through the bodies of multiple Grimm. "Wanna get that for me, Ike?" The older brother asked.

"It would be my pleasure." Blue replied with a smile. He backed up a bi, and sprinted towards James, who raised his hands into semi-circle in front of his chest. The younger of the two jumped into the air, and caught his feet against his brother's hands. Both siblings pushed off using their semblances, sending Ike flying away and causing James to stumble backwards a bit.

As he flew, the archer slashed through the head of one Beowolf with Nero. He kept Ichor in front of himself, clearing a path through the beasts. The archer forward to see Kelly having issues with her share of Grimm. The teen then grabbed a fire arrow from his quiver. Using is forward momentum, he threw the arrow through the gap of Grimm, and stuck it into the back of one of the Beowolves. The beast roared out in pain, just before the arrow exploded into a fireball, killing a few behind the agent.

Blue finally reached his brother's halberd, and pushed off the head of a Beowolf to kill his momentum and the Creature of Grimm. The beast's head exploded, and Ike safely landed on the ground. "Head's up!" He called out. The teen then kicked the halberd upwards into the air. This was followed by a spinning kick, which sent the weapon back towards the teen's brother. It stuck into the head of one of the Beowolves, and James retrieved the halberd from the Creature of Grimm's skull. The eldest brother turned towards the younger and gave him a smile and a thumbs up.

James turned back around and caught a Beowolf with an upwards diagonal slice. Looking around, he saw only a few more Grimm left standing. Ike plunged an arrow into the skull of another, and shot down another as he retrieved the previous arrow. The older brother then rested Klingen Ruhm on the ground, and began firing into at the five bests in front of him. As the smoke settled, only one had been killed and another hit in the arm. "Alright, this thing can't hit shit." He said to himself as he broke the weapon apart. The Grimm then rushed towards him, and James prepared for the attack. The first one leapt into the air, but the halberd wielder ducked the attack, and fired into the stomach of it. The next one then attacked from the side, and was greeted with the smaller axe to the face. The third attacked, and was batted away by the flat of the melee weapon. As it flew, James shot multiple rounds into it. The final wolf tackled James to the ground, who pushed it back. Its jaws snapped in his face, as it got closer to his head. Ike fired an arrow at it, but only hit one of its limbs. This gave James a small opening, as he grabbed its jaws and ripped them apart. The older brother then stood up to see the last of the Grimm being killed.

"That was close." Blue said.

"Sure was. That's for the help." His brother replied.

"Ehh don't mention it. We should probably get over to the wall though."

"Good idea." The eldest brother replied. "Everyone! We're moving towards the wall! Get ready for another fight!" He bellowed out, before leading the way towards Beacon's Army.

-At the Wall-

"Alright Stoneguard, what're we doing?" Eisenhower asked.

"I need anyone with long range weapons in the back providing support. The rest of you need to help box in the Grimm, so we can push them out."

"Got it." Ike said. "We can have…" His voice then began to trail off as he looked towards where the hole in the wall was. "James you're in charge for now."

"Wait, where are you going?" James asked.

"I see my target." Ike replied, as he continued to look at the wall. James followed his eye line and saw what he was looking at. It was another Ike walking through the hoard of Grimm and getting closer to the students. The only difference between the two? The one with the Grimm had pure black eyes.

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**Well there's nothing else really to talk about, so have a good day everyone :D**


	26. Chapter 4: 1 Out of 100: Part 2

**Hello all of my favorite people! How are you today? Man, you can really tell when I'm in a good mood and when I'm in a not so great mood by these first A/Ns can't you? Anyways, I took the PSAT for the second time, the first being as a sophomore, and I did pretty good. I also realised that I haven't wrote a disclaimer in forever, but it probably doesn't matter, so no more disclaimers! Furthermore, I would like to thank The Baz for the OC in this chapter, who will be sticking around for a bit. Also, I wanted to thank everyone for all their support. As of posting, this story has 54 Favs, 64 follows, and around 17,500 views. That is something that I never thought would happen when I first began writing, so thank you all so much :) To end, the next chapter will most likely be a Christmas chapter. This will in no way follow the current story line and won't follow it either. It is simply being wrote for a little holiday cheer. Without further adu, enjoy :)**

* * *

"I'm not going to be able to stop you, am I?" The older brother asked.

"Nope." Ike replied.

James sighed but said, "Have at him." With a small hand gesture towards the doppelganger.

Ike sprinted forward into the fray. He slashed down one Beowolf and pressed onwards. As one of the students killed another Creature of Grimm, the archer planted a foot on the dead Grimm, and pushed off flying into the air. As he propelled himself, he felt something grab onto his leg. Looking down, Blue saw a student holding onto him. The student looked to be about the same age as Ike. He wore a black shirt with a longer white one below it. Along with this, he had on baggy blue jeans and a black beanie, which was pulled over his eyes. The beanie had the former symbol of the White Fang on it. The symbol that was used before they had a shift in management. "What the hell?" Ike said.

The passenger must've heard him, because he looked up and smiled. This displayed his long canines, which obviously meant he was a Faunus, as well as his red ears. "Too many people. I've always hated crowds." Faunus said. The archer then noticed the teen's hand. It was a prosthetic one. In his human hand, he wielded a baton that sparked electricity.

"Well, can't drop him now." Ike thought as he drew his bow, and notched an explosive arrow. This arrow was then fired into a crowd of Grimm, leaving the piece of Vesh all alone. **(For convenience he'll just be called Vesh) **The Faunus then released his grip, and dropped to the ground. He red haired teen rolled forward, and slashed at Vesh with his robotic arm. The evil side of Ike then dodged backwards, and smacked the hand away from him with his version of Nero. Ike then landed, and switched to his own blades.

"Well, this should be interesting." Vesh said.

-Back Outside Ike's Head-

"Should we just kill them?" Vesh asked. The music then began to skip, and Vesh could see that the DJ was hiding behind the table. He quickly peeked up, and took the needle off the record. "If someone doesn't say something in five seconds I'm just going with my plan."

"Stop, stop." Junior said. "Nobody shoot. Or kill someone." He then pushed his way through the crowd of goons. "You're here. Why?" He asked somewhat nervous.

"You still owe me a drink." Yang said as she drug the leader of the suited men away.

"Didn't I pay you back last time?" The boss asked.

"Nope."

"What a woman." Neptune said looking and Yang. He then saw the two twins next to him and said, "Sup?"

The pair simply walked away and said, "Whatever." In unison.

Looking back over to his fellow blue haired teen, Neptune saw Vesh shaking his head. "What?" He asked.

"You're a moron." Vesh replied following Yang.

"Hey, it only has to work once!" The teen in red said.

"Good luck finding the one person!" Blue called back.

"Alright, where's Torchwick?" Yang asked Junior who was now behind the bar.

"What do you mean you don't know?" The brawler asked.

"What don't you know?" Vesh asked.

"Where Torchwick is!" The bartender replied angrily.

"How can you not know?" The Beacon students asked.

"I haven't talked to him. I haven't even seen him since the night you first came in here. He paid up front, I leant him my men, and none of them ever came back."

"That sounds like a tale I've heard before." The archer said.

"So where did they go?" Neptune asked inserting himself into the conversation.

"What kind of stupid question is that?" Junior asked. "They never came back!" He then turned to Yang. "Who is this guy?"

"Don't worry about him. Worry about me if I don't find out what I want!" Yellow said with more than a hint of aggression.

"I already old you everything! Torchwick hired my boys, and I guess he wasn't happy with them! Which is something I can relate to!" He yelled looking over to his men, who were all doing nothing.

"Hey!" One called out.

"Come on guys." Yang said as she left the bar.

"Well, it's been nice seeing you again." Vesh said sarcastically.

"Please don't come back." Junior pleaded.

"No promises." The teen replied as he caught up with the other two.

-Back In Ike's Head-

**(I should really come up with a name for this place. Actually, you guys do it, because I want to see what you can come up with.)**

The two copies started each other down, despite the chaos around them. The Faunus somehow returned to Ike's side with a big grin on his face. Blue could now see that the word 'Smile' was written on the front of the Faunus's shirt. "You know, he looks like you. Except for those creepy eyes." The Faunus then let out a high pitched laugh.

"Ya, that's because he is me. You're a hyena Faunus, aren't you?" The archer replied.

"How'd you guess?" The part hyena asked genuinely stunned.

"Lucky guess."

"Hey!" Vesh called out. "Are we just gonna stand here all day or fight?"

"If it's all the same to you I'd rather fight!" The Faunus called back, before rushing forward. Ike quickly followed behind him.

The red haired teen stabbed forward with the baton, which was deflected by Vesh. He then followed this was a slash of his robotic arm, which Vesh dodged by jumping backwards. Ike jumped in, and slashed sideways at his evil half. This was dodged by Vesh rolling under it and sweeping the good half's legs from under him. Ike was then kicked while on the ground, and sent skidding backwards. The hyena tried attacking again, by thrusting his sharpened metal claws at Vesh. Vesh slapped the arm down with Nero and kicked the teen away. As the redhead flew backwards, he opened his hand, and sent out a fiery projectile. Ike jumped over the Faunus just in time to see the dust projectile hit the ground and unleash a small inferno. Blue used this to his advantage and sprinted towards the fire. He jumped through it, and sprinted a few more step, before he reached Vesh. The two halves slashed at each other, but neither was able to land a hit. Ike spun on his right foot and stabbed at Vesh. Vesh sidestepped the stab and slashed downwards at Ike. Ike then dodged this with a roll and tried landing and upwards slash, which was, yet again, dodged. "Jump!" The hyena's voice called out, and Ike propelled himself upwards. The teen with a beanie opened his palm once more, and shot out lightning dust, which hit Vesh and shocked him violently. Before a hit with the baton was landed, Vesh jumped back and charged forwards hoping to win the upper hand.

The evil half stabbed at the Faunus, who slapped the blade away. Vesh then followed this with another stab, which the hyena pivoted around. This pattern continued, until Vesh stabbed once more and cut off a piece of red hair. "Finally got a hit huh?" The Faunus remarked. "Too bad it was just hair." He said with a smile.

"He's just messing with him now." Ike thought looking at the fight. Vesh tried another stab, but right before the tip of the blade made contact, the redhead batted it away with his metal forearm. This threw Vesh off balance, and let Ike get back into the fight. The blue haired teen jumped over his ally, and connected a drop kick to Vesh's head. This was amplified by Ike using his semblance to kick off and land a front flip. The darker half skipped off the ground and stopped on one knee, with his opposite hand on the ground.

"By the way, what's your name?" Ike asked.

"Rideat Dente" The hyena answered proudly.

"That's one of the lost languages isn't it?" The archer asked.

"Sure is. What about you?"

"Ike Mers." Blue responded.

"You have quite the fancy name there yourself." Rideat said with another laugh.

"Well, it looks like he's charging again, so be ready to fight."

"Please, I'm always ready." The Faunus said with a smile.

-Back to the Unhappy Trio-

"Well that seems like a waste of time." Vesh said.

"At least we got something." Yang said.

"But that something wasn't much." The archer responded.

"There it is again!" Yellow yelled.

"There's what?!" Blue responded.

"That stupid pessimistic side of yours! It's been there ever since we lost Victor!" The brawler said taking a step toward Vesh

"Well maybe I'm not too pleased about losing the guy who was trying to kill me!" Blue said taking a step towards her.

"You know what your problem is?!"

"What?!"

"You're just an as…" Yang's naughty word was then cut off by the sound of both hers and Vesh's scrolls going off.

"What?!" They yelled together as they answered.

"Everyone if you can hear me we need back…" Blake's voice was then drowned out by Sun's

"HHHHEEEEELLLLPPPP!" He called out. "They got a robot and it's big. Really big!" The blonde continued sounding more than a little panicked.

Yang then got on her bike and Neptune followed by getting on behind her. Sun's cries for help continued, and Yang asked, "Where are you guys?" This was answered by Blake and Sun passing by them, down the street, followed by a giant robot, as Sun screamed.

"Well, he wasn't kidding." Vesh said.

"Just grab your scrap metal and hang on." Yang said as she revved the engine. The archer sighed, and did as he was told. Yellow then whipped her bike around and sped off to follow the Faunus pair.

The blonde navigated through traffic, and finally reached the highway that Torchwick was on. Neptune pulled his goggles down over his eyes, knowing that they'd be traveling at a less than safe speed. As Blake and Sun leaped from car to car, Roman decided to simple smash anything in his way. Yang held down the throttle as fa as she could, and eventually the trio caught up to the chase. "You gotta slow it down!" The blonde biker said to Neptune.

"Got it." he replied. The teen with the gun reached for it, but Torchwick began uplifting cars.

"Hold on!" Yang commanded, but Vesh had another idea. As an SUV flew passed the bike, Vesh let go of the rope, and leapt onto the car. As the pair on the bike continued onwards, Blue jumped from car to car hoping to catch up. Eventually, Neptune was able to fire a few shots at the villain, slowing him down slightly. As the passenger on the bike switched to a closer ranged weapon, Vesh propelled himself towards the robotic suit, by pushing off a car. The archer stabbed Nero into the suit and held on for dear life. Neptune then joined him, by stabbing his blade into the suit as well. Vesh was finally able to regain his composure and ripped Nero out of the robot. He then stabbed Ichor in just in time to have something to hold onto as the robotic suit began to convulse in an attempt to lose the unwelcomed guests. Two transparent yellow clones of Sun then dashed towards the mech, and both slammed into it. Upon contact, the clones exploded, but Torchwick continued to flail the robot. Sun attempted to join the fight as he leapt into the air, bo staff in hand. Unfortunately, Neptune's weapon became dislodged and sent the teen flying from the mech. The two teammates collided in the air and off the bridge.

Ruby then informed the remaining five that she was ready for the plan to start. Weiss jumped from another bridge, and landed in front of Torchwick. The villain was then able to dislodge Vesh. This caused the teen to have a rough landing just behind the Ice Queen. The archer looked up in time to see the heiress stab her rapier into the ground, creating a floor of ice. The robotic suit then slid on said ice, and was send tumbling off of the bridge and down to Ruby. Weiss then ran over to the hole in the bridge's guard rail and jumped off. Vesh contemplated going off to find Sun and Neptune, but then remembered that it was Torchwick in the suit. "If he's gone that's just one less obstacle." He thought. The dark half then ran over to the same hole as Weiss and jumped off.

-Guess Where We're Going Now-

As the darker half rushed forward, as did the Beacon pair. Ike slashed with his Nero, but was deflected. Dente was close behind with a slash of his claws, but that was deflected as well. This left Vesh wide open. Ike reached towards his quiver with one hand as he slashed upwards with Ichor. The darker half was able to jump back slightly, but was still caught with the tip of Ike's blade. What he didn't expect was to have a lightning arrow get thrown at him and land a direct hit. The sparks arced from the arrow up the doppelganger's body. Eventually, they stopped but it was obvious Vesh was in trouble. "Just let me have some fun." Rideat said with a less than sane smile. "I'll call you when I'm done." Ike simply nodded, and left to help block the wall from the Grimm.

"What, are you getting cocky now kid?" Vesh yelled out as he stood back up.

"Not cocky. I just wanted to have a bit of fun." The way the hyena said the second sentence unnerved even Vesh slightly. Before the dark side could respond, the Faunus was already closing in on him. The two slashed at each other, and though Vesh was putting up a good fight, it was obvious he was losing. Eventually, Vesh was able to push the Faunus away and switch to his bow. Rideat then opened his palm to his prosthetic arm his foe notched an ice arrow. Both fired ice dust at each other at the same time, causing shards to form on the ground. However, neither had hit their mark. The fight didn't stop there though, as Rideat closed the distance once more. Vesh quickly switched to his blades, and blocked a strike from the Faunus's baton. He responded to this with a diagonal slash of his own, which Dente rolled under. While still ducked, the hyena landed a strong punch to Vesh's chest, knocking him backwards. Vesh got back up for one final charge, but before he reached the Faunus, Ike intervened.

The blue haired teen jumped and landed in between the two. This gave Vesh no time to react as Ike plunged Ichor into his darker half's stomach. "One down." He said as he pulled his blade out. Surprisingly, the injury wound looked like one a Creature of Grimm would have. Vesh fell to the floor, and began to disintegrate like a Creature of Grimm. The Beowolves soon fell to the ground and began to fade away as well. "Ninety-nine left to go." Ike felt an odd feeling in his head as the last body left. Almost as if he had just become extremely light headed. Then, for a brief moment, he saw what appeared to be the world outside his head. He could see team RWBY standing in front of a giant robot. Then, the vision vanished.

-At the Same Time-

Vesh was standing behind team RWBY, not really wanting to fight but knowing he had to. Suddenly, he felt a horrible pain in his head and his vision faded. Then, the pain left and his vision returned. "Ike, are you okay?" Ruby asked.

"Ya, I'm fine." The archer replied.

"The bastard must've taken part of his head back." Vesh thought to himself.

"Alright then, let's get started. Freezer Burn!" The young leader called out as Blake and herself dropped back next to Vesh. "You just need to distract him." Ruby told Vesh. "Try to just make small hits on his legs, while Yang does heavier damage."

Even though he hated taking orders from the girl, he couldn't look out of place. "Got it." Vesh said. Weiss then created a floor of ice, which Yang smashed dispensing a fog. As team RWBY dashed through the fog, Vesh lined up a shot with an ice arrow. He then released the arrow, which hit right on target on the villain's leg. The archer then switched to Ichor and Nero and dashed towards the robotic suit. Vesh quickly slashed at the free leg, damaging the hydraulics in it. Roman then began firing at the ground trying to hit the five, but constantly missed. Ruby used the explosives to her advantage and struck through the smoke of a missile.

"Checkmate." The girl called out as Black and White rushed forward. Vesh propelled himself up on top of the really big robot, as Sun called it, and began hacking at anything that looked important. The monochrome duo began dealing damage from below, but were forced to stop as Roman slammed his foot against the ground. He then launched rockets at the two, which they each dodged. Getting more than annoyed at the rider on top of him, Torchwick picked up Vesh and threw him at the two. Blake was able to dodge him, but Weiss wasn't as lucky. The two slammed into each other, but Weiss was able to release a final glyph before hitting the ground. Blue landed with a solid thud of his own next to her.

"Are you two okay?" Yang asked as she approached.

Vesh slowly pushed himself to his feet but was able to stand. "I'm a little worse for wear but I'll live." He then looked over to the fight to see Ruby and Blake attacking Roman.

"I'll be damned if I let them screw this up for me. He might have information on where Victor is." The dark half thought to himself.

"Maybe you should just rest for a…" Before she could finish, Vesh went sprinting back into the fight. "bit."

As the Ladybug duo chopped of an arm, team Storm took action. Yang began pounding the top of the mech, while Vesh was attempting to take of the other arm. While his attempts with a blade did nothing, maybe explosives would work. The teen retrieved a demolition arrow from his quiver, and took aim. He released the arrow, but before it made contact, Roman charged forward, slammed Yang into multiple pillars, and dodged the arrow all at the same time. "Damnit." Vesh cursed. Yang was then punched as she fell, breaking another pillar.

"If I'm lucky she won't get up." Vesh thought. Unfortunately for the dark side, she did. "Didn't think I'd get that lucky." As another punch was launched at her, she stopped it completely. Then punched it back, ripping the arm clean off. Yang was kicked away, but the archer used this to his advantage. He switched back to his blades, and began to wreak havoc on the wires exposed in the arms. He jumped into the air, and slashed one exposed socket on the way up. As he came back down on the other side, he eviscerated the other side. Yang spun around, barely missing the mech. Ruby and Weiss then activated team Ice Flower. The partners began to shot freezing bullets into the robotic suit and Vesh quickly caught one. He aimed a lightning arrow at the exposed socket, and fired it in. This damaged the motion control completely stalling the suit for a few moments. And that's all Yang needed. She came back around once more, and slammed her fist into the robot's head. This sent it flying, and destroyed it completely. Roman steadied himself, and soon saw both a flaming bullet from Yang and a fiery arrow from Vesh flying at him. Before they made contact though, someone stopped the projectiles. The archer notched another arrow, and concentrated his aura around hit. He fired again, hoping to bend the arrow around the girl. This too fail, as the pink, white, and brown clad girl pushed her umbrella over slightly, blocking it.

"Ladies, Robin Hood, Ice Queen." Roman said. Weiss obviously took offense to being called Ice Queen. "Always a pleasure." He then tipped his hat. "Neo, if you would." Neo bowed down before him as Yang rushed forward.

"That's not going to work." Vesh said.

"Why?" Ruby asked as her sister slammed her fist into what was Neo. The girl shattered into fragments though, completely escaping.

"Cause that's Neo." The archer answered. The evil pair then appeared in a bullhead, which they safely escaped in. The other four quickly came to Yellow's side.

"So I guess he got a new henchmen." Yang pointed out.

"Ya, I guess she really made our plans… fall apart." Weiss said with her lame pun.

"No, just, no." Yang said.

"What, but you do it." Weiss wined.

"There's a time and a place for jokes."

"Was this not it?" The heiress asked.

"No, it wasn't" Vesh said coldly. "We can't keep seeing failures as victories." He then began to walk away.

"It also wasn't very good." The brawler pointed out.

"Well at least I'm trying."

"It shouldn't surprise me that they screwed up." Vesh thought. "I hope Cinder comes to her senses about losing Torchwick." He then looked up at the sky. "Then again, maybe I misjudged him."

* * *

**Yay! Section One down. Now only 99 left. Obviously, I won't be writing about every section being cleared, because that would take forever. Thanks again to The Baz for Rideat. I'm always happy to look at new OCs and will put in good ones if I see an opening for one in a story. Thanks again guys for all the support, it means the world to me :) and as always, feel free to pm me and don't forget to drop a review. Till next time :D**


	27. Christmas Special

**Merry Christmas everyone! If you celebrate some other holiday, then I hope your enjoying it. Anyways, I would like to say that this AN is being wrote on Christmas Eve at 12 in the morning. Basically midnight, because I didn't want to spend a lot of time away from my family on Christmas or Christmas Eve. Anyways, this takes place just before the attempt to kill Victor. It's kinda serious, but I like it none the less. If you want a less serious Christmas story, then my other fanfiction taking place in the SAO universe has one. There won't be a bottom AN, so Merry Christmas everyone, Happy Holidays, and have a wonderful winter season! :D**

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"Ike." A soft voice whispered. "Ike." The archer only gave a small mumble in response. "Time to get up." The young leader then began to shake her boyfriend.

"5 more minutes." He said.

"Rubes, you're going at this all wrong. Let me help." Yang said. She then grabbed the Ike's mattress. "GET UP!" She bellowed as she flipped the mattress over, sending the teen flying.

"Gee, thanks." Ike said as his eyes adjusted to the light.

"Well, you only have an hour to get ready." Weiss said.

"Ready for what?"

"To leave." Ruby answered. "We're going on winter break."

"That's today?" Ike asked.

"Yes it is." Blake said. "And unless you want to stay here with me, I suggest that you pack your things."

"Well, I don't really have a place to go." Blue said. "I guess it'll just be me and Blake for a while then."

"I will be staying as well." Pyrrha said inserting herself into the conversation.

"You are?" Jaune asked.

"Yes, my home is very far away, so I won't be leaving." The Spartan answered.

"Well, me and Ren and going home!" Nora cheered. "It's a good thing we have each other, because it'll be a long flight home!"

"Oh great." Ren said with an extreme lack of enthusiasm.

"But Ike, if you're staying here then we'll be apart for weeks." Ruby wined.

"Sorry, but where else can I go?" Blue asked.

"What about with us?" Yang asked.

"That's a great idea!" Ruby yelled.

"Are you sure your dad's okay with this?" The archer asked.

"Why wouldn't he be?" Ruby asked.

"Well, dad is pretty…" The rest of the brawler's sentence was muffled by Ruby's hand.

"Understanding." The younger sister said. "Isn't that right Yang?" Understanding what Ruby was doing, Yang nodded in agreement. "Good, then it's settled. You'll be coming with us." Red said beaming with happiness.

Ruby then began flying across the room, gathering her boyfriend's things. "Wait, what was Yang going to say?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing." The girl said tossing a suitcase towards him. "She was just going to say how nice he is." She then handed him his bow as she sprinted by.

"I don't really believe you." Ike responded as more and more items were handed to him.

"When have I ever misled you?" The scythe wielder asked.

"Well there was that one time…" The archer began to say, before Ruby cut him off with a quick kiss.

"That was rhetorical." She said.

Ike sighed and said, "I guess I'll go with you."

**(A bit fast, but I just wanted to set up the chapter here really)**

-To Patch-

Ike, Ruby, and Yang stood in front of a small cabin, in the middle of a small snowy town. All three were wrapped up in warm attire with their corresponding colors. "And your dad knows I'm coming?" Ike asked.

"Nope." Yang and Ruby said together with smiles, before Yang knocked on the door.

"Wait, what?" Blue said, before a man opened the door. Taiyang Xiao Long. He was a rather intimidating man. Standing around 6 foot 2 inches, he had blonde hair, and was basically the male version on Yang. He had the same lilac eyes as Yang, with short hair. **(I pretty much just pulled this out of nowhere)**

"I'm guessing Ruby looks like her mom." Ike thought to himself.

"DAD!" The two girls said in together, opening up their arms.

"Yang, Ruby! It's so good to see you two again!" He replied, hugging both of his daughters. After a few seconds, the three let go of each other. "And who might this be?" Taiyang asked.

"Dad." Ruby said grabbing her boyfriend's arm and pulling him towards the blonde man. "This is Ike. My boyfriend."

"It's nice to meet you." Ike said somewhat nervously, extending his hand.

Taiyang seemed to study him for a second.

"Oh Monty, please don't let this be bad." The archer thought.

The man then grabbed Ike's hand and shook it vigorously. "So you're the man I've heard so much about." He said with a smile. "Well, it's probably freezing out there. Come on in." He then opened the door even more, and stood to the side as the trio walked in. "I want to speak to you after a bit." The father whispered to Ike, who simply nodded.

"Well, tell me all about Beacon." Taiyang said, pouring himself, Yang, and Ike cups of coffee. To nobody's surprise, Ruby had hot chocolate.

"It's amazing." Yang started.

"Except the classes are really hard." Ruby complained.

"Ya, but other than that it's amazing. We get to fight monsters and do all this other cool stuff." Yang continued.

"And I've gotten even better with my scythe." Ruby said beaming.

"And what about you Ike?" Taiyang asked.

"What about me?" Ike asked.

"Well, I've already heard about Ruby and Yang's experiences though their letters, but what about yours?"

"Well, where do you want me to start?"

"What about your weapon?" The male blonde asked.

Ike then retrieved Aeolus from his back. "This is Aeolus. Just a standard bow."

"Except Ike's an amazing shot." Ruby added.

Taiyang raised a questioning eyebrow, to which the archer responded, "I'm not bad." He then switch his weapon to its bladed forms. "And these are Nero and Ichor."

"Hmm, designed yourself?" Taiyang asked.

"More of a gift really." Ike said, except he showed a bit of secrecy in his answer. Secrecy that Taiyang saw.

"And what about your ignition test?" The father asked. Then went on to explain him being wounded, as well as his part in killing the two Grimm, with a bit of interjecting by Yang and Ruby, of course. "Well, if Ruby says you're a fantastic archer, I must see this."

"I'd be glad to show you, but where can I shoot at?" The blue clad teen asked.

"I have a few targets out back." The blonde responded. "Ruby had to learn to shoot somewhere."

"I'll come with." Ruby said, but was shot down by her dad.

"Why don't you and Yang unpack your stuff in your rooms?" He asked.

"What about Ike's stuff?" Yang asked.

"Just leave it there." Ike said. "I can sleep on the couch." He then looked over to Taiyang, who simply nodded in agreement.

-Outside-

Taiyang had three hay stuffed targets in a small shooting range behind the house. There were a few bullet holes in each, but none of them were too badly damaged. "Well, let's see it." Taiyang said. Ike stepped up to the first target. It wasn't that far away either. He notched an arrow, let out a steady stream of breath, and released. Bull's eye. "Impressive." The man said. He then grabbed a can, and threw it into the air. "Pull!" Ike quickly notched another, and fired again. It grazed the can, but it wasn't a definite hit. "Well, that was a hard target. Try hitting the furthest hay target." He said. Ike notched another arrow, but before he fired, Taiyang said, "Tell me about yourself."

Ike lowered his bow, and asked, "What do you want to know?"

"You said that your weapon was a gift of sorts. Care to elaborate?"

Ike sighed, and put away his bow. "That depends on how much Ruby has told you."

"Only that you've had a rough life and that when we meet I shouldn't bring it up."

"Decided not to listen?"

"Basically. Yang has probably grilled you about something, so you probably should've guessed I would too." Taiyang said.

"Ya, I did. I just didn't expect this to be the first thing to be brought up."

"What did you expect?"

"That I should always respect Ruby and that you'll kill me if I hurt her." Taiyang simply laughed.

"No I'm sure Yang has already done that."

"Ya, she has." Ike said. "Anyways, I should probably answer your first question. I haven't had the easiest of lives so far. My parent's died when I was young, leaving just my brother, James, and I. We only lived, because we joined a group that was never named. There we were taught to fight. The leader, Victor, is the one who gave me my weapons. We then began making money by attacking targets. Many of them were crime lords, but that didn't justify what we did. We thought of ourselves as vigilantes. In reality, we were hit men. Eventually, my brother died during one of our jobs. I quit that night. Then I met Ruby and went to Beacon. Has Ruby told you everything else?"

"Yes." Taiyang said. "She's told me about the attacks on you and the steps your taking to find Victor."

"Then you understand the danger she's in?" Ike asked.

"Yes, but that's nothing new in the line of work she's chosen." The father then stood up. "I suppose we should get back inside. I don't think I have to give you the same speech Yang gave you."

-A Few Days Later-

Ike had been enjoying his break. It was the closest thing to a normal family he'd had for a while. Eventually, Dustmas had arrived. Ruby, being Ruby, woke everyone up before dawn had broke. "WAKE UP IKE!" She called, as she jumped on the couch her boyfriend had been sleeping on. "IT'S DUSTMAS!" Blue slowly opened his eyes to see the pair of blondes with the same tired expression he had. Ruby, on the other hand, was as wound up as usual.

"Ya, ya I'm up." He said as he sat up. The red haired girl then disappeared in a flash, and quickly returned with cups of coffee for the three all precariously stacked on top of one another. "Are you like this every year?" Ike asked grabbing the top cup.

"Pretty much." Yang said as she grabbed her cup. **(This is what my brother used to do when we were little XD)**

Taiyang grabbed his cup, and Ruby quickly sat down next to her boyfriend. Yang then began distributing the gifts. First, Ruby opened hers, because she was the youngest. Taiyang gave her more weapon polish, because she had recently ran out. Yang gave her another Beowolf plushie, with the name 'Rubes' loving sewn into it. Ike gave her a necklace with a bullet as the medallion. "A bullet?" Ruby asked.

"It's the one that I always spin around in my hands." The archer replied. "The last bullet James had in his clip."

The sediment behind the gift brought tears to the young girl's eyes, who hugged her boyfriend and said, "It's perfect. Thank you." Ike returned the hug.

Next was Yang, being slightly younger than Ike. Ruby got her sister a chain of bullets that were infused with fire dust, claiming that it matched her personality. The blonde's father gave her a painting of a black fish in a pond. "It's the Yin to your Yang." He said laughing at the small pun on her name.

"And that's where the jokes come from." Ike thought.

Ike had given the blonde a pair of sweatpants with her symbol on it.

Ike was next, and received a leather necklace with Ruby's shatter symbol and his drop emblem on it. Taiyang gave him a few more dust infused arrows, adding that he wanted to see how a few worked before the archer left. Yang gave him a pair of aviators, with blue frames. "I know they don't make up for James's, but at least they'll remind you of him."

Finally, Taiyang was given his gifts. Yellow gave him a new coffee maker, knowing how much her father drank almost as much of the liquid as Ozpin. Red gave him a scroll like device, which would show where his daughters always were. Finally, Blue gave him a holographic target, claiming that Taiyang was spending too much money replacing the hay in the targets.

Ike looked around him, to see the small family all enjoying each other's company. For the first time in a while, he was comfortable with where he was in life. Even though he knew the peace wouldn't last forever, he simply enjoyed it for the time being. For the first time in a while, he felt at home.


	28. Chapter 5: Two Colors that Won't Mix

**Hi everyone! How are you all today? I've been good. I've had like 4 or 5 snow days in a row, so I haven't been to school in a week. Perks of living in Indiana :D There isn't really much news in my life other than that. I feel like it took forever for the chapter to get out, so sorry if it did. Anyways, enjoy :D**

* * *

"Alright then, time for the next match." Goodwitch declared as Jaune was helped out of the arena, stars in his eyes.

"Sorry Jaune." Ruby said as she waved to him.

Jaune said something that sounded like, "Auedffjkdsh," as the medical team continued to carry him away.

"Do you think he's okay?" Ruby asked.

"Well, other than the concussion he'll have, among other thing, I'm sure he's fine." Vesh said, which worried the girl.

"Don't worry Rubes." Yang said. "He'll be okay."

"The next match shall be…" Professor Goodwitch said as the slot machine of faces began to spin. It stopped first on Nora. "Nora Valkyrie, verse…" The randomizer of doom then stopped once more. "Ike Mers."

"YAY!" Nora cheered as she bounced out of her seat and got changed.

"Monty damn it." Ike mumbled as he stood up and walked to the locker room.

"Good luck!" Ruby called out.

"Thanks!" The archer called back. "It won't make a difference." He then mumbled. The reason Vesh was so reluctant to fight? Because he hadn't found a definite flaw in Nora's fighting style. She over extended herself on her attacks, leaving her vulnerable after one, but she was too fast for most attacks to be dodged. Even though Vesh was strong, the conflict of the two minds was draining a lot of his abilities.

Blue quickly got changed, and returned to the arena, where he found his teacher and opponent waiting for him. Nora was bouncing up and down with excitement. "Are you ready, Mr. Mers?" She asked. A simple nod was her answer. "Mrs. Valkyrie…" She then looked at Nora, who was still bouncing in anticipation. "Nevermind. Begin!"

Vesh expected a quick start, but he didn't expect her to instantly come flying at him, hammer raised. The evil teen quickly crossed his blades in front of him, just in time for Nora's weapon to slam into his blades. This sent the teen skidding backwards. When he finally stopped, Nora was just recovering from her first hit. Vesh then charged forward and slashed at the girl. Nora was able to block it just in time, and responded with an overhead slam of her hammer. Vesh rolled out of the way, and jumped backwards as he returned to his feet. He crouched down, held his bow sideways, and notched three arrows. He fired off all three, which Nora slapped down with a sideways swing. As her momentum carried her around, Nora switched her weapon into grenade launcher form. She changed her hammer into its grenade launcher form and fired off shots as she rushed forward. The Blue Arrow **(Superhero reference) **pierced each of the grenades with an arrow. As the final grenade was sent flying, Vesh shot through it and hit Nora in the stomach. Then sent the pink haired girl backwards, and as she looked up from her crouched position, she saw Vesh only a few feet from her. Valkyrie quickly switched her weapon to its hammer form once again. As she began spinning it, Vesh switched back to Ichor and Nero. Nora attempted slamming her hammer down on top of her opponent, but the blade wielder was able to sidestep it. Nora's hammer slammed into the ground, and Vesh tried taking advantage of this. The girl with the hammer then fired off a shot from her weapon, sending her flying upwards. The archer then switched back to his bow and jumped up after her. Blue and Nora then met in the air as Nora was descending. Vesh grabbed onto her, and threw her farther up into the air. As he fell, he began firing arrows at her. The pink haired girl blocked the projectiles with her hammer and then pulled the trigger once more, sending her flying toward the ground. As she passed Vesh, her momentum caused him to begin flipping end over end. The hammer wielder landed on the ground and then began to fire to fire grenades at Vesh as he fell. The archer was hit by one of the grenades, which stopped him from flipping. As the next grenade reached him, he retrieved another arrow and fired into the explosive. He continued this pattern until he shot through the last grenade and into Nora's foot. With a bit of smoke cover, the male fighter closed the distance in between the two. He then landed a hard kick into his opponent's stomach sending her flying back. Nora rolled backwards and regained her footing. She then rushed forward once more and swung horizontally at Vesh. The archer ducked under the swing, but didn't predict her next move. The bubbly girl pulled the trigger on her hammer, sending it back towards her opponent. Vesh attempted to block with his blades, but swing was too strong. The hammer smashed into Vesh, sending him flying backwards and tumbling on the ground. "Mr. Mers's aura has now dropped into the red zone. Mrs. Valkyrie is the winner." Professor Goodwitch announced.

"Psychotic bitch." Vesh mumbled to himself.

"Good match Ike!" Nora yelled out across the arena.

"Thanks!" He called back. "You too!"

"Thanks!"

Vesh then walked back over to his seat next to Ruby. "It was a good match." She said.

"Ya, don't worry about it." Yang added. "Nora's one tough cookie."

"Ya, I figured that out." The archer replied.

"Shouldn't you go to the infirmary?" Weiss asked.

"No, I'll be fine. Just need a bit of rest."

"Are you sure?" Red asked.

"Yes." That's when the slot machine began to spin once. "Let's just see whose next." The first person to fight in the next battle would be Pyrrha. The second, was Cardin.

"EASY!" Yang bellowed from her seat.

"Mrs. Xiao Long!" Glynda scolded.

"She is correct." The Spartan added. "My skill leave is quite higher than that of Cardin's."

"And how would you even the odds?" Cardin asked.

"However Professor Goodwi…" She was then cut off by Nora.

"Send in the whole team!" She called out. Glynda's reply was a heart piercing glare.

"Please, that would be too easy." Cardin bragged.

"Oh would it?" Pyrrha asked.

"Definitely."

"Fine, I accept the challenge." Vesh looked over to see the faces of horror on the other three members of team CRDL's faces'.

"Very well then. The next match shall be Mrs. Nikos verses team CRDL. Please get changed." Pyrrha and team CRDL then left to get changed.

"This isn't going to be pretty." Vesh said.

Pyrrha began to casually stroll out of the locker rooms and into the arena. "Mrs. Nikos, are you ready?" Glynda asked. Pyrrha nodded. "Team CRDL, are you team?" Each member of the team gave various yeses. **(Never seen that written. Yeses. It's kinda weird.) **"Then let the match, begin!" The combatant's charged at each other as soon as they could. Cardin was the first to meet Pyrrha and was greeted with an upwards swing with her spear, which Cardin blocked. He then tried hitting her with his mace, but was blocked as Pyrrha spun around and used the shield on her back for protection. The red haired girl swung upwards again only to be blocked once more. However, her next slash threw him off balance and rushed forward, slashing his exposed chest. Cardin was down on one knee, and locked up just in time to see Pyrrha plummeting ready for her spear to impale him. The leader quickly rolled out of the way and let his team fight for a bit. The Spartan rolled upon landing and launched her spear at Dove, which he knocked away with his sword. As the spear fell, Pyrrha dropped to one knee and pivoted on it, sweeping Dove's feet from under him. She then caught her spear and quickly changed it to its shotgun form. She took a shot at Sky, but missed. He then attacked with his halberd, but was blocked by his opponent's shield. Pyrrha had already changed to her spear at this point and slashed downwards at the boy. He sidestepped the attack and blocked the next on. Staying on the offensive, Pyrrha swung once more only to be blocked. She then took another shot with her gun, only for that to be blocked as well. She followed this up with two more strikes with her spear. The first being blocked and the second landing a hit, knocking Sky away.

"This is pretty one sided." Ruby said as Cardin missed a swing with his mace, denting the floor.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Vesh replied. Pyrrha then dodged an attack from both Cardin and Sky at the same time. "Or maybe you can be." He added. Pyrrha hit both Cardin and Lark with a throw of her shield and landed on the halberd wielder. Russel and Dove then charged for their attacks. Russel was quickly thrown out again by Pyrrha shield bashing him. After a few blocks from both Pyrrha and Dove, Bronzewing was sent flying away by a quick kick to his chest. Cardin tried landing a devastating hit once more, only to dent the floor. Again. "He's an idiot." Vesh said.

"Are you just realizing that?" Yang asked.

"No, not really." Pyrrha fired a few shots, only for them to be blocked by Thrush. Russel threw himself forward while spinning, making him a bladed ball. He stopped spinning just in time to kick Pyrrha's shield. This was followed by a combination attack by Dove and Russel. "Comeback?" The archer asked. Pyrrha then escaped her two attackers and rolled under another one of Cardin's stupid attacks. Cardin was able to block the shot's from Pyrrha, but was still hit by her flying knee. "Nope." Cardin was dazed to say the least and was then hit in the chest by Pyrrha's boot. After trying to regain the offensive, Cardin received multiple quick strikes. Pyrrha then slashed downwards and sent him stumbling away. Russel rushed forward trying to slash Pyrrha with his knives, but constantly missed. The girl blocked one of the daggers thrown at her, threw her shield into his face, and sweep his legs with her spear. She then spun Dove around with a quick thrust and blocked the shots from his concealed gun. Rolling forward, the Spartan tried sweeping his legs, but he jumped and spun over it. This landed him right next to Cardin, who hit him in the face with the backswing of his mace. The leader slammed his mace into the floor, causing a line of explosions which Pyrrha gracefully dodged with a back flip. She then rapidly slashed him, and sent him into the air. This was followed by her jumping up there herself. After a few more quick hits, Cardin was sent flying once more. Pyrrha pushed off her shield and grabbed once Cardin. She then flipped a few times before slamming him shoulders first into the ground. After landing flat on his stomach, Cardin then received a boot under his chin and Pyrrha back flipped away. Cardin slammed into the ground and the lights turned back on.

"And that's the match." Professor Goodwitch said.

"Lucky shot," was all that Cardin said before collapsing to the ground.

"Ya, it wasn't that lucky but say what you want to." The archer said. Professor Goodwitch then announced that they would have time for one more match.

"Let's go again, Ike!" Nora said.

"Uhh, I think I need a bit of rest." Vesh replied.

"Mrs. Belladonna? You've been rather docile for the past few classes. Why don't you…" Glynda was then cut off by Mercury.

"I'll do it." He said raising his hand. Vesh looked back and instantly recognized him as one of Cinder's henchmen.

"Mercury is it? Very well, let's find you an opponent." The professor said as she began typing into her scroll.

"Actually, I wanna fight… her." He then pointed towards Pyrrha. Professor Goodwitch tried to protest, but Pyrrha accepted the challenge. Mercury didn't even need to go to the locker room and quickly stepped out into the arena. The two fighters got into their respective stances before rushing at each other. Mercury spun and tried placing his boot against Pyrrha, who blocked with her shield. Pyrrha then sweep his legs out from under him. Mercury spun and returned to his feet and followed this with a few backwards handsprings to make distance.

"What's he trying to do?" Vesh thought. "He's either stupid or has something planned." The fight continued with a few strikes and blocks.

Ruby then turned around and said to the green haired girl behind them, "Hey, your friend's doing pretty good."

Emerald put on a face smile, only to drop it after Ruby turned away. Vesh then leaned back and whispered d to her. "Tell Cinder she has three days to drop Torchwick or else she's made a powerful enemy."

"Please do you think we're scared of you?" She whispered back.

"Just remember. I'm. Not. Normal." He added to his last statement by flickering his eyes to pitch black. This seemed to give Emerald a somewhat uneasy feeling. Vesh then returned to sitting upright and put his arm over Ruby. He looked back just in time to see Mercury completely miss a kick.

"Using her semblance I see." Blue thought to himself. Pyrrha rushed forward, and Mercury made more distance by pushing off her shield.

Before the Spartan could reach him, Mercury turned around and said, "I forfeit."

"He's doing research." Vesh thought to himself. "Thank Monty he isn't a complete idiot."

Professor Goodwitch somewhat scolded Mercury, but he obviously didn't care. The bell then chimed and Glynda ended her class with a reminder about the dance and their missions. Team RWBY walked out the door but Vesh hung back a bit. "Come on, Lover Boy." Yang said.

"You guys go ahead. I'll catch up in a bit." He replied.

"Whatever." Team RWBY then walked away and Vesh interjected himself between Mercury and Emerald.

"Learning is so much fun." The gray haired teen said.

"Decided to do a bit of research do you?" Vesh asked.

"Why do you care?" Mercury asked.

Blue then walked up to then other boy, draped an arm over his shoulder, and said, "Listen here. Your interests can be my interests. Just as long as you don't piss me off." He said the last sentence far more harshly.

"And if we do?" Emerald asked.

"Simple, I'll kill you." He replied somewhat cheerful. "Don't forget Emerald, three days."

"Don't worry, I won't." She replied.

Vesh began walking away, but stopped when Mercury said, "Wait!"

"Yes?" The archer asked as he turned around.

"If you want to join us, then why do socialize with people like that little scythe wielder?" The teen with gun shoes asked.

"Let's just say that this body has had a change of management." He added a somewhat sinister grin to this. He then turned and began walking away again.

"What a nut job." Emerald said. An arrow then flew pasted her face and stuck against the wall to her right.

"Next time I won't miss!" Vesh called out as he walked away and put his bow back on his back.

The archer was able to catch back up to Blake while Sun was asking her to the dance. He decided to just keep moving forward though and back up to team RWBY. Blake shot down Sun's request, who looked pretty disappointed. "Does Blake seem… different to anyone else?" Ruby asked as they continued back towards the room.

"Please tell me you aren't just realizing that." Vesh said.

"Hasn't she always been silent and secretive?" Weiss asked.

"But she's been more silent and secretive than usual." Ruby said.

"Why don't we throw an intervention?" Blue said sarcastically.

"What the hell are you doing?" The dark half scolded himself mentally. "You're becoming sloppy with your impersonation."

"Okay, how about so real ideas?" Yang asked picking up on the sarcasm."

"We could convince her to go to the dance." Ruby suggested.

"And how would that help?" Weiss asked.

"It might cheer her up a bit." Vesh said, seeming more Ike like.

"I suppose, but you saw her reject Sun. There's no way she's going to go." Yang said poking holes.

"We'll just have to put out best foot forward." Ruby said confidently.

-Later in the Room-

"You what!?" Blake asked to Ruby's idea.

"We want you to go to the dance." Ruby repeated. Luckily, but unluckily for Vesh who just wanted to see the world burn, team JNPR also saw the change in Blake and left team RWBY plus Vesh alone for a while.

"That's ridiculous!" Blake protested.

"Blake, we're worried about you." Yang said. "This investigation is starting to mess with your head."

"You can't sleep, you hardly eat, and to be honest your grades are slipping." Weiss added.

"Do you think I care about grades?" Blake asked.

"Not really, no. You've proven that." Vesh said from his bed as he spun one of his arrows in his hand.

"People's lives are at stake!" Blake added, shaking off Vesh's comment.

"We know and we're trying to figure out what Torchwick up to." Yang said.

"Thanks to you and Sun, we know they're operating somewhere outside of southeast Vale." Ruby added.

"And the Schnee company record singled out Vale as the primary target for dust robberies over the last few months." Weiss added.

"Don't forget about their missing military tech too." Yellow added.

"We aren't just standing around and doing nothing. We have info this just takes time." Vesh said, trying to regain his Ikeness.

"But there are still unanswered questions." Blake pointed out.

"Blake, you won't be able to find anything if you can't even keep your eyes open." Red said.

"All we're asking is that you take it easy for one day." Her sister added.

"It'll be fun! Yang and I will make sure of it." Weiss commented.

"Ya, we're planning the whole event!" The blonde replied.

"Excuse me?" Black asked.

"You are?" Vesh asked sitting up in his bed.

"Team COPY's away mission lasted longer than expected." White said.

"So Weiss and I were asked to pick up where they left off." Yang said. "And now we can make sure you have the perfect night."

"And once it's all over, we'll return to our search. Rested and ready." Weiss said, ending the talk about the planning."

"So what do you think?" Ruby asked.

After a moment of thinking, Blake answered by saying, "I think this is a colossal waste of time." She stood up and walked to the door, but was stopped by Vesh's voice.

"Of course you do." He said. He had returned to laying in his bed spinning his arrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Blake asked.

"You know exactly what it means." He replied.

"Ike." Ruby said, somewhat warning him to stop.

"No I don't, Ike, why don't you enlighten me?"

"It means that all you can do is hang onto your past. You don't see anything in the future."

"And you're the one to talk?!" The Faunus asked. This felt like a bit of a slap in the face to Vesh, especially because he wasn't looking for revenge. He just simply wanted to remove an obstacle.

"I'm looking for a bit of revenge is that too much to ask?!" Vesh yelled as he stood up and walked over to the girl. "You on the other hand are just obsessive."

"Oh, I'm the obsessive one. All you do is research!"

"But at least I eat. You don't do shit anymore!" The archer replied.

"Because I need to focus!"

"Your focus is going to be thrown off by doing something else for one night. You can't take a single break?"

"I can, I just don't see the point in wasting precious time."

"Oh yes, the precious time that you use for being antisocial to everyone, and I mean everyone, and researching only to find nothing. You've done nothing for the team, you've done nothing to find Torchwick, and now you're just gonna walk off and pout!"

Blake opened her mouth to say something, but simply said. "I'll be in the library." She then open the door.

Before she closed it, Vesh yelled out, "Told you so!" Blake then slammed the door. The boy then turned to see three disappointed and angry girls. "She needed to hear it." He said coldly.

"But was that the way to tell her?" Ruby asked.

"It's the way I choose. You guys being all nice obviously didn't work." He then laid back in his bed.

Before anyone else could say something, there was a knock at the door. Weiss opened it, and the sound of a guitar filled the room. "Weisssssssss!" Jaune sang.

"Not the time!" Vesh said as he slammed the door shut for the heiress.

Jaune then knocked again. "Oh come on." Three more knocks. "Open the door." He wined. "I promise not to sing." Weiss opened the door again. "I lieeeedddddd!" He sang out with a few more strums of the guitar. Weiss simply face palmed as Vesh stood back up. "Weiss Schnee." He sang. Vesh grabbed his bow. "Will you accompany me?" The archer notched the arrow he was spinning. "To the dance onnnnn!" He stopped to think, and Vesh took aim. "Sun…" That was all he was able to say as Vesh released his arrow. It collided with the door and shut it.

"Nobody else was closing it." He said.

"Does this mean no?" Jaune asked from behind the door.

"Yes." Weiss replied.

"Awww man." Jaune said.

"Wow, ice queen and king." Yang said.

"Don't put me in a relationship with him!" Weiss yelled.

"The feeling is mutual." Vesh replied calmly as he put his bow away.

"I already have a date in mind anyways." Weiss said confidently.

"Date or no date, none of this will matter if we can't get Blake to go." Ruby said.

-Meanwhile in the Evil Dorm-

"Add her to the list." Cinder said, as Emerald added Pyrrha's name to the list.

"And what about this Ike guy?" Emerald asked.

"He says that he wants to join us, but I still don't trust him. He'll only join if we drop Torchwick." Mercury

"Maybe our plan with the White Fang can help. If he thinks we've gotten rid of Roman there, he'll join us." Cinder pointed out.

"There's an issue though. He says you have three days to drop contact with Roman or else you've made an enemy." Emerald said.

"And is that meant to scare us?" The leader asked.

"I think so. He did think weird thing where his eyes became completely black. He also said he wasn't normal. He could be strong but I think he has his own plans." The green haired girl said.

"Hmm… Add him to the list as well. I don't think he's worth loosing Roman. We'll have to see what happens after everything goes down." Emerald quickly added Ike's name to the list.

"Do you really think he's a threat to us?" Mercury asked.

"I don't know. We'll just have to wait and find out."

* * *

**Well that's about it. I'm gonna really have to push Ike's story, so there might be a few chapters focusing on him here soon. There really isn't anything else for me to say, so don't forget to leave a review and send a pm. I love hearing from you guys :) Bye!**


	29. Chapter 6: A Madman's Plan

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm doing pretty good myself. There really isn't any major news in my life, except track practice is starting, so that's been tiring. Also, if you haven't checked out my other story, I'd love if you did. Nothing else to say, so enjoy :)**

* * *

"This is pretty slow progress don't you think?" Rideat said.

"Did you think this would be fast?" Ike asked.

"No, not really just a bit faster." With the time spent inside of his own head, Ike had managed to destroy ten of the one hundred Grimm nests plaguing his mind. This freed a few town, along with a couple of hunters Ike was familiar with through new articles. Currently, the brothers, Eisenhower, and the hyena Faunus were all sitting together in the inn Ike currently called home. The headmasters offered the three former organization members a room within Beacon but the three all turned them down. Ike claimed that it wouldn't feel the same without team RWBY there, James wanted to stay near his brother, and Eisenhower simply didn't like the feel of being in a fighting academy again.

"It's not like this is easy. We're almost guaranteed to lose a few people in each raid not." James pointed out.

"Ya, I know. It just seems like there's a faster way to do this." The Faunus said.

"Do you have a plan?" Ike asked.

"Well, the start of one."

"We're all ears." Eisenhower said.

"What about if we attack a bunch all at once." Rideat recommended.

James spat out the drink in his mouth at this idea, "Are you crazy?"

"Kinda." The Faunus mumbled to himself.

"We don't have the man power to attack multiple targets at once. We're a militia not an army."

"It isn't really the best idea." The younger Mers admitted.

"It could work." Eisenhower said.

"How?!" James replied.

"Well there are obviously faults in Vesh's defense right?"

"There are, whenever we kill a part of him left behind, I flash into control now." Ike said.

"Exactly, this means that a part of his strength is being used when we fight Vesh. This means that if we attack multiple targets at once, he'll have to stretch out the strength he uses in fighting us, making the attacks easier."

"There's still Grimm though." James pointed out.

"We have plenty of strong Hunters now. We can divide them up and attack simultaneously."

"What about Ike though?" The older brother asked.

"What about him?" Rideat asked.

"I go into the real world whenever we kill a part of Vesh. If I'm fighting when that happens, I'm done for." Ike answered.

"Just don't fight until yours is the last target left." Eisenhower said.

"So you want me to just let everyone fight my battles while I sit here and flip in between consciousness?" Blue asked.

"You can still aid whoever is the last to free their sector, you just have to wait." James said.

"You're agreeing with this?"

"It'll be efficient okay? I'm not saying that it'll be safe, but it'll get you back to the real world quickly."

"How am I even going to know who's the last group attacking."

"I think this will help." Eisenhower said as he tossed a scroll over to the teen. Ike opened it up to see a layout of a small map. The screen was broken up into ten differing sectors all colored blue. Surrounding those were divided sectors all colored black. Above the map was the word Agartha. **(Sorry Ashuri Brighty, I liked your idea, but I prefer this one.)**

"A map?" Ike asked.

"It shows who controls what part of your head. However, it can only map out what we can see, so anything that you've freed and what borders that will be mapped. Everything else is simply not there right now." The shape shifter said.

"You're just going to do this whether I okay it or not, won't you." The archer asked.

"You know us so well." The Faunus replied.

"Fine, we'll attack multiple targets at once. How many though?"

"Well, there's three of us that can each lead a group, if we can get the help of a few of the Hunters and Headmasters, we can probably attack about ten of them safely." James said.

"And then I'll just help fight whichever sector hasn't been freed yet."

"Exactly." Eisenhower answered.

"Well, let's go gather everyone then." The archer said, closing the scroll, standing up, and walking out into Agartha's Vale.

-At Beacon-

"It does seem effective." One headmaster argued.

"Yes, but it's practically suicide." Another replied.

"But they get weaker the more we attack. I say we attack fifteen nests!" Another declared.

"They've been doing this for hours." Rideat complain as he propped his head up with his elbow, which rested on his thigh.

"At least they gave us chairs to sit in." Ike replied with the same bored tone as he dropped his head downwards. The headmasters did give the four of them chairs.

"Do we really have to be here?" Rideat asked as he leaned his head over the back of the chair and looked at the wall.

"Well, only one of us really needs to be here." Eisenhower pointed out, he shouldn't have though. As soon as the words left his lips, his three companions sped off leaving behind a cloud of dust. Not realizing they had left, he asked, "Do you guy mind if I…" He then noticed the absence of the others. "Oh, don't worry I'll stay here and watch the most boring argument ever. I'll just message you when they're done." He then covered his eyes with his hands and propped his arms on his legs. "Some friends you guys are." He mumbled.

-Outside the Office-

"Maybe we should go back and have one of us stay with him." Ike said.

"Are you volunteering?" His older brother asked.

"No, just thinking out loud."

That's when James's stomach rumbled. "Anyone else hungry?" He asked.

"Just you." Rideat answered.

"Well, I'm going to go to the cafeteria then. I'll find you guys later then."

"Have fun!" Ike called out as his brother walked in a different direction.

"Be safe!" He called back.

After randomly walking around for a few moments, Ike said, "So Rideat?"

"Yes?" The Faunus asked.

"How do you see?"

"Well that's blunt." The Faunus replied.

"Well, you have you hood pulled over your eyes all the time."

"That would be because I'm blind."

"Then how do you walk around and fight and stuff?" The archer asked.

"It's my semblance." He replied. "I can see aura, kind of a small replacement."

"Then how did you fight Grimm? They have no soul or aura."

"Very carefully." Said the blind Faunus with a small laugh. "But, I did learn to listen for them as well as use my teammates' aura to guide me."

"Did it work?"

"Somewhat. It wasn't easy, but it worked for a while. But then, you know I ended up here."

"I guess you have a point. Then how are you able to fight so well in here?" Ike asked.

"Well you have an aura and a soul and stuff, right?"

"Ya."

"Well there you go!" The hyena said as if it made perfect sense.

"That makes no sense. Whatsoever."

"Well, because we're in your head, everything gives off your aura."

"Even Grimm? And what about when we fight parts of Vesh?" Blue asked.

"He has own aura. The Grimm use his as well. Everything that is connected with you such as everyone in this building has your blue aura. Anything associated with him such as his fragments or the Grimm the fragments created have his dark purple aura. Now does that make sense?"

"Yes it does. So you just see a bunch of figured walking around in the dark?"

"Sure do."

"Then how do you see building and stuff?"

"I use the figures of people as a reference, and if nobody's around I can make little clicks with my tongue to figure out where objects are based on when the sound bounces off." **(There's a person who can actually do that! It works like how a bat sees.)**

"That actually works?" Mers asked.

"Sure does."

"Interesting to say the least."

"What about you?" Rideat asked.

"Umm, I can see just fine."

"No, I mean tell me about yourself."

"You're in my head, shouldn't you know all of this?"

"Nope, I'm just a memory. I only know as much as other memories tell me."

"Makes sense, so what do you want to know?"

"Well, why do you want to get out of here so badly?"

"Would you want to be stuck in your own head?" The archer asked.

"I guess not, but there has to be some reason you're rushing this."

"Well, there's this girl named Ruby…" Blue said before being quickly cut off.

"OF COURSE IT'S A GIRL! WHY DIDN'T I THINK ABOUT THAT?" The Faunus yelled out.

"Do you want me to keep going on?"

"Ya, go ahead. I wouldn't want to ruin your fun of talking about her."

"Ya, whatever. Anyways, she's pretty awesome." Mers said.

"Ooooo tell me more!" Rideat said in a mocking tone.

"Shut up, I'm done with this topic."

Rideat laughed a bit and then said, "Well tell me about your past."

"That's a bit… sensitive." Ike said.

"So it mine, so we can swap."

"Well, I became an orphan at a young age, leaving only James and I to look after each other. Well, he looked after me more than I looked after him, but that's not important. Eventually a man who called himself Victor offered to take us in. Being desperate kids, we accepted. He took us to an old factory that his group used as a headquarters. James and I trained there to fight, until it was decided we were ready to start taking on jobs. We ever renamed Juliet and Lima. Victor didn't believe in using real names. We began with just small jobs, we helped people and got paid to do it. It seemed like a good thing. Once I was around fifteen years old, we began to get assassination missions. Nobody that we ever attacked was completely innocent, but at the same time most of them didn't deserve to die. We were becoming criminals as we progressed through the days. Eventually one of our missions went bad, and James got shot. He died there that day. I quit the group, and went my own way. Then, out of sheer good luck, I met Ruby a few months later. I helped her attack a group of me that were robbing a dust shop. Neither of us realized that the robber was being conducted by two of the most dangerous people in Vale. After the fight was over, we were both invited to join Beacon by the Headmaster, which we both accepted. Victor slowly gained control of my head, until the day that I was put here in his place and he took mine. The rest is just what's been happening to me in here." The archer said, finishing him monologue.

"Wow that's some crappy stuff."

"Yep, now it's your turn." Ike said.

"Fair's fair, I, like you, became an orphan as a kid. Both of my parents were Faunus as well and our house was burnt down by a bunch of racists. However, the fire caused me to go blind as well took away my arm." The hyena then moved his robotic arm around a bit. "I lived on the streets for about two years, until I meet a member of the White Fang. His name was Abraham and he began to teach me how to fight and use aura. His said that being a Faunus was hard and that I would need to learn how to defend myself. My prosthetic arm was given to me on my twelfth birthday as a gift from him. Abraham became like a father to me. Then, when I was fourteen Abraham contracted an incurable disease. He died later that year. Even though I was pretty destroyed, I keep training that way I could fight for what he believed in. Once then White Fang change management, I was one of the first people to leave. I thought that the new methods went against everything Abraham believed in. Then I joined Beacon and did pretty well here."

"Rideat?"

"Ya?"

"How did you die?" Ike asked.

The Faunus sighed and said, "I figured you'd ask that."

"You don't have to answer if…" Blue was then cut off.

"No, its fine. I knew you'd ask this eventually. I was still a first year at the time and the first year students were all meant to go on a mission with a hunter, with their team. Well, we choose a search and destroy mission outside of Vale. We had a pretty nice hunter along with us, he was named Chaud Fuego if I remember. He used a weird flamethrower like weapon. Anyways, we went on our mission and were doing well, until a few of Goliath came. To say they went happy would be an understatement. Chaud stayed back, while we ran to get to the bullhead that was called in. Chaud put up a good fight, but was tossed aside by the tusks on one of them. I don't think it killed him, just knocked him out. I actually feel bad for him, because he probably feels guilty for me dying. Anyways, I decided to try to hold them off long enough for everyone to escape and hopefully get onto the bullhead with Chaud somehow. I was able to climb up to the top of it, and take out the right eye of one of them. It then shook me off and when I looked up I saw a giant foot coming down towards me. And well, here I am."

"Wow, I'm sorry Rideat." Ike said.

"Its fine, went out like a hero didn't I? Plus, I didn't have much of a life before Beacon, so I died giving it to the school."

"You really love this place, don't you?"

"Why do you think I was on the front lines of that first raid?"

Ike then received a message from Eisenhower saying, "Hey, I think they're done fighting like the bunch of old guys they are. Get back in here."

"You think it's a trap?" The hyena asked.

"Probably, but if it isn't we should probably be there." The pair then turned back around, and headed towards the Headmaster's Office.

-Back In the Office-

The pair of students pushed open the door, to see some Headmasters still bickering. "Yes!" Eisenhower yelled out. "Suckers!" He then stood up and made a break for the door, but was stopped by Rideat grabbing his shirt collar, which forced him to a sitting position.

"You aren't going anywhere." The blind teen said. Eisenhower mumbled something under his breath, and then James strode through the door, plate of food in hand.

"This stuff is great." He said, shoving another piece of chicken in his mouth.

"James, the message was a fake. Go back to the food." Ike said.

"We have made our conclusion." One Headmaster announce.

"Or maybe I'm a mind reader." The former hunter said.

"Or maybe you an idiot who got lucky." The older brother replied, ruffling Eisenhower's hair as he walked by. Eisenhower then got up and sat down in his seat next to the other three. Although, they didn't look like the most serious bunch. Ike was actually paying attention, Rideat was messing around with his prosthetic arm, James was still eating chicken, and Eisenhower looked half asleep.

"Are we sure this is the right choice?" One Headmaster whispered to another.

"If it protects Vale, then yes." Headmaster number two responded.

"We have come to the conclusion to lend you our aid in this plan." The first Headmaster of Beacon announced.

"Now let us begin planning." The second Headmaster said.

"We have a small idea of the plans already." Ike said.

"As you know, we plan on attacking ten targets at once. I, Eisenhower, and Rideat are all capable of leading a team into battle. We have three Hunters who have already agreed on leading a team. That means, we need four of Beacon's staff or students to be able to lead the remaining groups." James said.

"What about Ike?" One of the oldest Headmasters asked. **(Oldest as in like age, not the first Headmaster)**

"I lose consciousness after each piece of Vesh is killed, making it too dangerous for me to fight. Therefore, I will aid the final team's attack, but can do nothing else. Now, do you have anyone in mind for the remaining four leaders?"

"I'll take a spot." One Headmaster said. He appeared to be in his late thirties. His name was Headmaster Tin. He wore a grey suit when not in combat, but donned a full set of armor when preparing to fight. He used a sword taller than him to fight. The weapon had no ranged mode, but he didn't really need one. The man was a walking tank.

"Any others?" Eisenhower asked.

"Professor Zauberer would be a good choice." Rideat pointed out. "He teaches aura control, and acts mainly as support."

"Darian Cam would also be a good choice. He's a fourth year student, who's a squirrel Faunus." Added a Headmaster Ike glanced over at Rideat, who nodded confirming the third choice.

"And perhaps Professor Tunet." Recommended James. "I met her in the cafeteria. She uses a lightning bolt shaped sword infused with lightning dust."

"She's a wonderful recommendation." Said one of the Headmasters. "Now as for your plan."

"We will each lead a team into a nest. Three are occupied by Ursa, One by Beowolves, Two with King Taijitu, another has a few Death stalkers, two are infected with Boarbatusk, and the final one has…" Eisenhower's voice then trailed off.

"Has?" Tin asked.

"Goliaths." He responded.

"How many?" Tin asked.

"Seven."

"Seven Goliaths!" Exclaimed the eldest Headmaster. "That's impossible!"

"Not if we attack right." James said. "I can lead the team against the Goliaths. We'll take the longest that way Ike will be helping us. We will also need to stack a few hunters with us."

"Well, as long as you're putting your own neck out there, I say it's worth a shot." Headmaster Tin said.

"I suppose it is." The first Headmaster responded.

"Alright then, we'll go find everyone and ask if they want to help in the attacks."

The four then stood up, and walked out of the office. "So are you sure we can kill four Goliaths?" Ike asked his brother.

"Ya, why not? It won't be easy, but we got this." He then wrapped his arm around his younger brother, and pulled him in close. "Plus we'll have Hunters with us."

"Whatever you say." Ike said somewhat nervously. Truth be told, the archer was extremely worried about fighting a Goliath. It was the beast that killed Rideat after all.

"Now come on, I want to get some more chicken." James said as he began jogging down the hall.

"Does he only ever think of food?" Eisenhower asked.

"Only when it's good food." Ike said happily, remembering the taste of Beacon's pancakes. "James, wait up!" Ike called out as he ran after his brother.

"I can't believe they're running for food. Can you Rideat?" Eisenhower then looked around to see the Faunus missing. "Rideat!" He called out.

"They might have steak!" The hyena yelled back from somewhere in the maze of halls.

"Great, they left me again." Eisenhower mumbled to himself. "Wait up! I'm gonna get lost!" The eldest of the four then took off after the others.

* * *

**So, hopefully there's gonna be a big fight somewhat in the next few chapters. Also, the next chapter will take a bit of time to write, because I'll be visiting my brother for about 4 or 5 days, where I most likely won't write while I'm down there. No other real important news, so don't forget to leave a review and pm me with any questions, because I'm always happy to explain something a bit more and hear some feedback from the story. Have a nice day :D BYE!**


	30. Monty

**Hello everyone. This is not an update. Unfortunately Monty Oum passed February 1st at 4:34 PM. In Matt's post, he says that Monty went into a coma ten days ago after suffering a severe allergic reaction during a medical procedure. Fortunately, he felt no pain during this process. Matt has asked that to honor Monty and his amazing creative ability, everyone does something creative. This story will continue to be my creative thing to honor Monty. The Know has posted a video announcing his passing, but it is not easy to watch in any way. I feel that this quote is appropriate right now. "Never say goodbye. If you don't say 'goodbye', then they're never really gone. They just aren't here right now."  
**

**My thoughts, and I assume yours as well, are with Monty's loved ones.**

**Rest in Peace Monty. You may be gone, but never forgotten.**

**(Edit) I feel like what I wrote here wasn't really enough. While I never had the pleasure of meeting Monty, I was, and still am, deeply saddened by his passing. To me, he was an inspiration. He's the reason that I began writing in the first place, and the reason why I want to become an author. It simply amazes me how much of an impact someone you've never met can make on you. And now, Monty, my inspiration has passed. And isn't it amazing that even though I've never met him, Monty has changed my life in a way. And I can never thank him enough for that.**


	31. Chapter 7: Love Hate Relationships

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? Well, I guess it's tonight now, but whatever. It is a bit later than what I usually post at, but just got done and really wanted to share today. Anyways, I giant snowstorm hit between chapters in my small hometown. To say that was fun would be very inaccurate, because I couldn't get anywhere. The snow was nice though :) Anyways, that's enough about my life, so let's get into Ike/Vesh's. Enjoy!**

* * *

"You're really quite something, you know that?" Blake said. Vesh had come into the library, because Ruby felt he treated Blake unfairly. The apology wasn't going quite that well though.

"Oh I'm something?! You're the one who held secrets against her own team!" Vesh yelled, disturbing everyone in the library.

"I've had enough!" The librarian yelled. "Both of you out! NOW!" Blake obeyed the command and walked out of the library. The dark side of Ike was more than willing to start yelling at her as well, but he also wanted to keep the arguing match between him and the Faunus going, so he left as well.

"And now you've gotten us thrown out of the library!" Blake yelled from a bench outside the door.

"It's not my fault you started this yelling match." The archer pointed out.

"I really don't know what's gotten into you, but you've become worse than Cardin. I'm amazed anyone still puts up with you."

"Worse than Cardin huh?" Blue said. "At least I'm not the one throwing away everything chasing after a man who'll kill me as soon as I find him."

"What about Victor?" Black asked.

"I wasn't obsessed with him! You won't even have the strength to fight Roman in he was blindfolded!"

"I can still fight Roman."

"Really? Prove it then." Vesh said getting into a fighting stance. Blake stood up and ran up to him, throwing a sloppy punch. Vesh easily dodged it, hooked her leg with him, and pulled her feet from under her. Blake landed face first onto the ground, and rolled to her back, glaring up at the person yelling at her. "Pathetic," was all he said, before walking away. Blake yelled after him, but soon walked back into the library.

-In the Ball Room-

"How'd it go?" Ruby asked as the person she through was her boyfriend sat down and pushed off the table, tilting back in his chair.

"She's not coming." He replied.

"Are you two still fighting?" Red asked.

"Considering she isn't here, I'd say yes."

"Did you try to be nice?" Yang asked.

"Tried, she just got all upset with me and started yelling."

"Did you yell back?" The younger sister asked.

"Among other things."

"What other things?" Ruby asked.

"I showed her that she couldn't fight Roman if she tried."

"And how'd you do that?" The brawler asked.

"I just explained it to her." He lied. Yang looked a bit skeptical, but then Weiss barged in

"I need you to pick a table cloth." She said, slamming two different fabrics on the table. She then slid them both forward towards the younger girl.

"Aren't they both the same?" Vesh asked.

"No! Just look at them. Ruby sees the difference, don't you?"

"Uhhh… yes?" The girl said.

This caused Weiss to let out a disgusted sound. "I don't even know why I asked." The heiress then walked away.

"Glad we could help!" Vesh called after her. Yang then walked over, carrying a giant speaker on her shoulder. "Need help with that?" Vesh asked boredly.

"Nope." The girl replied, before all but dropping it to the ground. This caused everything in the room to hop a bit, including Vesh's chair. The teen lost his balance and fell backwards, hitting the ground.

Vesh sat there for a few seconds, letting his anger boil inside of him, but a small giggle from Ruby reminded him that he needed to act like Ike. "I told you, you should stop doing that."

"Ya, I guess you're right." He said with a small chuckle. He then got up and placed his chair back on its legs.

"So, have you picked out a dress yet?" Yang asked.

"What's the point?" Ruby replied sadly. "Who cares about the dance if Blake isn't going?"

"Maybe I won't have to go to this." Vesh thought.

"Oh don't worry, she's going." Yang replied.

"Damn it." The dark side thought. **(You don't know the power of it. Ha Starwars joke. Man that was horrible.)**

"And how do you plan on getting her to come?" The archer asked.

"Some way that you haven't tried." She replied confidently.

"Gee, why didn't I think of that?" Vesh mumbled to himself. This seemed to perk Ruby up a bit but not much.

"Weiss!" The older sister yelled. "I thought we agreed, no doilies!"

"If I don't get doilies, then you don't get fog machines." The heiress protested, invading the brawler's personal space.

"No doilies or fog machines? What a disaster." Vesh said sarcastically.

"Shut up." Yellow and White said together.

"Your dance is going to have fog machines?" Neptune asked as he walked in with Sun.

"We were thinking about it." Weiss replied, in a cheerful tone.

"So now we have fog machines, but no doilies? How will this ever work?" The archer called out. Weiss's reply was an 'I will eat your soul,' glare.

"That's pretty cool." Neptune replied.

"You ladies all excited you dress up tomorrow night?" Sun asked. "And Ike."

Ruby snorted and said, "Ya, right."

"Nope." Vesh replied quickly.

"Laugh all you want, I'll be turning heads tomorrow." Yang said proudly.

"It'll be a normal thing for Weiss though." White then gave him the same death glare.

"Perhaps you should stop, before Weiss rips your face off." Red said, genuinely fearing for his safety.

"Ya, maybe, but it is fun messing with her. Especially around Neptune."

"I just feel bad for Jaune in that whole situation."

"And why is that?"

"Because, he obviously likes Weiss, but she just keeps shooting him down."

"He needs to just go with Pyrrha." Blue pointed out as he began leaning back in his chair, only for Ruby to push it back down.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because Pyrrha would do anything to be with that kid. He's just too oblivious to see it."

"Really?" Ruby asked.

"Have you never noticed it?" Ruby shook her head no. "Wow, that's a surprise. I thought it was obvious to everyone."

"What makes you say that?" The Grimm Reaper asked. **(Pun number two! I'm on point today!)**

"She offered to teach him to fight, didn't stay mad at him after he neglects his team for a while, and she even offered to break Cardin's legs for him. Sure, most people would offer to do that, but she seemed like she would actually do it.

"I guess you have a point. Should we steer him in the right direction?"

"It's best to not interfere with other people's business." Vesh said.

"Good acting." The archer thought to himself.

"So uhh… what does Blake think of all of this? Is she still being all… you know… Blakey?"

"Blakey? Yep that's the right word for it." Vesh said sarcastically.

"Hey, you come up with a better word."

"Weird, antisocial, tired?" The blue haired teen suggested.

"Oh…" Wukong replied.

"Yes, she's still being all… Blakey." Weiss replied.

"I still can't think of a way to change her mind." Ruby said.

"Guys, trust me. Blake will be at the dance tomorrow." Yang said, somewhat heroically.

"And your plan is?" Vesh asked.

"You'll see. You're helping though." Before he could protest, the brawler grabbed the archers arm and began dragging him through the halls.

-Back to The Library-

"Really, this is your idea?" Vesh whispered.

"She's a cat Faunus, isn't she?" Yang whispered back

"She still part human!" The boy yelled whispered.

"Shhhhh, you're gonna get us caught. Just shut up for a little bit." Yang then began to aim the laser pointer at Blake's computer screen. She then brought it down to the girl's hand. Blake just looked more irritated than anything.

"You're just making her mad." Vesh pointed out.

"What did I tell you to do?" Yang replied. The little red dot then popped back onto Blake's hand, yet again agitating the girl. After a quick disappearance, the dot appeared on the computer screen and moved around a bit.

"You have really steady hands, you know that?"

"Yep, I'm like a ninja." Yellow replied.

"Yes, because a requirement of ninja school is steady hands." Blue said sarcastically.

"Just go back to being quiet." Blake then slammed her hands against the desk and stood up. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty." Yang sang in a whisper as she moved the dot closer towards herself. Blake then began to follow it. That's right, just follow the little dot."

"How is this working?" Vesh asked in a more surprised tone than anything.

The dot continued to crawl along the ground, before turning around the corner the duo were hiding behind. Bake, still looking at the ground, then came face-to-face with Yang. "Hello!" The blonde sang.

"You really followed it?" Vesh asked from his new position behind Blake.

"Don't mind him." Yang said in her cheerful voice, before getting serious. "We need to talk. Ike, grab her arms."

"What?" Blake said, before Yang picked up her feet and Vesh held onto her arms as the two carted the Faunus out of the library. Of course, Blake began to put up a fight.

"Would you stop struggling?" Yang said.

"Would you let me down?" Blake replied in an annoyed tone.

"I would threaten to drop you, but all cats land on their feet." Blue said.

"That's kinda racist." Black said.

"Do you want to test it?" Vesh asked.

"No." The girl responded.

"That's because it's true." The brawler said. She then opened up a classroom and called out, "Anyone in here?" There was no reply. "Perfect, just set her down somewhere." Yang said as she dropped Blake's legs. Wanting to test the stereotype, Vesh also let go of her arms. The black clad girl paused in the air, before hitting the ground, turned, and landed on her hands and knees.

"How does that even work!?" Vesh asked.

"Don't worry about it, now what do you want?" The girl asked. Before either of the other two could respond, Blake added, "And if you're going to tell me to stop, you may as well save your breath."

"Actually, I believe Ike should start this off." Yang said as she sat on the desk in the front of the room.

"I should?" Vesh asked, confused. Yang gave him a death glare in response. "I mean… Ya, I have something I need to say." He then paused for a few moments.

"And that is?" Blake asked.

Vesh paused for a moment, while he had a small internal struggle. "Don't do it." One part of his head said.

"If you don't, you'll be acting out of character." The other part said.

"We already do that!"

"I know, but we have to do this."

"Fine, have it your way."

"Blake, I'm… I'm… I'm sorry. I know I've been harsh on you lately, but I've been under a lot of stress lately and I know you have to. I also know that me acting the way I have, hasn't really helped. So friends?" Vesh said, dying a bit inside.

Blake showed the first small smile she had in weeks. "Friends."

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" A portion of his head said.

"I'm going to kill you." The other responded, as Vesh could hear the sound of a glass bottle shattering in his head.

"Now, anything else?" Blake asked, the smile now gone.

"Yes." Yang said, still sitting cross legged on the desk.

"Like I said Yang, you telling me to stop won't do anything."

"I don't want you to stop, I want you to slow down."

"We don't have the luxury to slow down." The girl in black replied. Vesh wondered if he should say something, but realized that his internal thoughts were currently murdering each other, so it was basically his choice.

"It's not a luxury, it's a necessity." The brawler replied.

"The necessity is stopping Torchwick." The Faunus replied.

"And we're going to, but first you have to sit down and listen to what I have to say." The blonde then patted the table. Blake reluctantly agreed and sat down.

"Do I have to sit down?" Vesh asked, he was currently just leaning on a wall.

"Are you the sleep deprived one?" Yang replied.

"No?"

"Then no." Yang then turned her attention back to Blake. "Ruby and I grew up in Patch. An island just off the coast of Vale. Our parents were Huntsmen." Yang began to tell the story, which Vesh had already heard, so he tuned out a bit. He already knew that Yang and Ruby had different fathers, and that Yang had almost killed Ruby in search of her mother.

"How's it going up there?" Vesh asked his own head.

"Oh, the kids were just fighting." The voice of Ike replied.

"Ahh, so I see you've figured out how to start talking to me." The darker half replied.

"Sure have. Fair warning, I would expect some headaches soon if I was you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Vesh asked.

"Oh, you'll see." Although he couldn't see him, the dark side knew that Ike had a smile on his face when he said that. "Goodbye, for now."

"Damn it, they're probably planning an attack. I just don't know where though. I could separate more of my energy into my head, but probably only to one nest. I'll just have to wait and see which one they decide to attack. I need to find a way to be able to wipe out those pests in my head. Maybe if I…" He was then snapped out of his thoughts by Yang yelling.

"No you don't understand! If Roman Torchwick walked through that door, what would you do?" The fiery blonde asked. Vesh noticed that her eyes had turned red.

"I'd fight him!" Blake yelled back.

"You know you can't. I already proved that." Vesh said.

"How, because you tripped me?!" Blake yelled back.

"You know you'd lose." Blue pointed out.

"No I wouldn't!" The Faunus protested.

"Yes you would!" Yang yelled as she pushed the other girl into the desk.

"I can stop him!" Blake replied with a feeble excuse for a hit.

"You can't even stop me!" Yellow roared back which another push. Yang then walked up to her partner and hugged her. "I'm not asking you to stop." Yang said in a much more caring tone. Her eyes turned back to their normal lilac. "Just please, get some rest. Not just for you, but for the people you care about." Yang then began walking away. "And if you feel like coming out tomorrow, I'll save you a dance." The last past the blonde said with a smile. She then walked out of the classroom.

"That's an opportunity not many people would miss." Vesh said as he too began to walk out.

-Outside-

"Well that was too much kindness for my black soul. I need someone to be miserable and it won't be Blake for much longer." The evil teen thought to himself. Then, as he turned a corner, he saw a perfect scene before him. Weiss walking up to Neptune, and Jaune trying to find Weiss. "This will be entertaining." The teen thought to himself as he took cover behind a corner.

"Neptune!" Weiss called out, finally within yelling distance. Jaune seemed to panic a bit and hide much like Vesh was.

"Oh, uh… Hey, what's up?" The other blue haired boy asked as the heiress caught up to him.

"I know this is a little… unorthodox, but I wanted to ask you something." The girl said.

"Here it comes." Vesh thought, a bit giddy.

"Would you… like to accompany me to the dance tomorrow?" White asked. Jaune looked completely crushed upon hearing those words. He then dropped the flower in his hand and walked away.

With his evil heart now happy, Vesh was about to leave, but then he heard Neptune's answer. "Ya, about that… I don't really think that we should… do that."

"Two crushed people?!" The archer thought to himself. "Amazing!"

"Oh," was Weiss's reply.

"Ya, sorry it's just that…I don't think we'd really work out."

"Oh, I see. Well then… I'll just be going." White then turned away.

"Ya, see ya." Neptune said, walking the other way.

"Ahh, the awkwardness is just amazing." The boy then turned and began walking away, but he walked into someone. "Hey!" He yelled out, before looking up to see who it was. The man had pitch black hair, wore a red shirt with a white jacket, and black pants. This, was Mr. Monyreak Oum **(Monty's real name)**. He was named after the person who is believed to have created all of Remnant. "Hey, aren't you that guy who can dance really well?" Vesh asked.

"Yes, yes I am." Oum replied.

"And why are you here?" The archer asked.

"I heard there was a dance and couldn't miss the opportunity."

"You realize it's a ballroom dance. All formal and what not."

Monty then placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ahh, silly child. Nothing ever has to be exactly what people want it to be. If you want to dance regularly and not formally in a ballroom, then go ahead."

"Ya, I don't think Ozpin will be too happy about that."

"Oh well, let him be mad." The man began to walk away, but stopped and turned around. "But, before I leave, let me leave you with some advice. 'I believe that the human spirit is indomitable. If you endeavor to achieve, it will happen given enough resolve. It may not be immediate, and often your greater dreams is something you will not achieve within your own lifetime. The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility even in death.' Now, I hope you use this well in your lifetime." The man then began to walk away, until he disappeared like the last ray of sunshine before the night. **(I know I posted a little thing about Monty, but I felt the need to add a little tribute to him here. And yes, that is a direct quote from Monty. He will be missed.)**

-The Night of the Dance-

Vesh and Ruby walked into the dance, arms linked. Ike would've thought that the girl looked amazing, incredible, jaw dropping. Vesh, however saw a girl in a dress, that's it. Vesh himself was dressed in the same attire as the rest of the men, but with blue trim. The pair then opened the door, to see Yang in a white dress. "OH! You look beautiful!" The brawler exclaimed. Ruby simply let out a groan. "And you're looking good tonight, Lover Boy." The older sister said flirtatiously.

"Can we have a serious talk about how Weiss fights in these?" Ruby asked in regards to her heels. She began to walk forward, with Vesh supporting her. Despite the boy's help, Red still struggled to walk, causing Yang to laugh and the archer to put on a fake smile.

As everyone danced, Weiss, Ruby, and Vesh all stood to the side. After her dance with Blake, Yang soon joined them. "And why aren't you two dancing?" Yang asked the couple.

"I can't dance and she can't walk." Blue replied.

"It's really not that hard to walk in heels, Ruby." Weiss pointed out.

"Maybe for you, you were born wearing these stupid things."

"Well at least Blake is having a good time." White said.

"I told you she would come." Yellow said.

"Mission accomplished." Weiss added.

"So… what do we do now?" The youngest of the three girls asked.

"Just have fun." Her sister replied before she and Weiss walked away.

Ruby seemed a bit dumbfounded that the two would leave her and called out, "Does that mean I can change out of these stupid things and into my hood now?!" She then walked around in her less than comfortable shoes. "Stupid lady stilts."

"Are you two not enjoying yourselves?" Ozpin asked as he approached the two.

Ruby seemed a bit surprised to see the headmaster, but replied by saying, "Oh, no, everything's fine! I'm just not much of a fancy pantsy… dancey girl."

"And you?" The man asked Vesh.

"I'm stuck with her." He replied. "Plus I can't dance that well."

"Well, Mr. Oum could've solved that issue." The headmaster pointed out. "Though, I haven't seen him here tonight."

"Ya, I meet him earlier. He just didn't seem like much of a… fancy pantsy dancey guy." Blue replied using Ruby's words.

"Well, you two can't spend your entire lives out on the battlefield. Even if you may want to." The gray haired man said.

"Ya, that lesson's been floating around a lot lately." The girl replied looking a bit annoyed.

"If you think about it, fighting and dancing aren't so different." Ozpin said as he looked out over the dancing couples.

"Care to explain?" Vesh asked.

"Two partners are interlocked, although one wrong move on the ballroom merely leads to a swollen foot."

"Or a twisted ankle." Ruby pointed out.

"A twisted ankle is more down your alley." Blue whispered to Red, causing the girl to giggle a little.

Ozpin looked over to the couple of opposite colors with a look of happiness and said, "It's not every day that friends are able to come together like this. Time has a way of testing our bonds. Something I'm sure you two know all too well. However, its nights like these that can help keep them stronger than ever. Nights like these are one we'll never forget." Ruby had a smile on her face, due to Ozpin's wise words. Then, the door reopened and Mercury and Emerald stepped in.

"Oh, I'm sure this is a night that we won't forget." Vesh thought as a dull pain grew in the back of his head.

* * *

**Well, the big dance is here, but what will happen next? You don't know, but I do and I'm not telling :P Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I don't have anything really story related to post here, but that's not really new. I just really ramble on in these things, don't I? Oh well. Don't forget to send me a pm or leave a review, because I love to hear from my readers. Also, go follow me on twitter if you want, because I just now jumped into this decade, at MrSparky6277. I'll be posting a few little rambles that I like to do on there, as well as story updates. And maybe even a spoiler or two. That's all for tonight though, so everyone sleep tight, that is if your on Eastern Time, if not this is just pointless to you. Bye!**


	32. Chapter 8: Changing Partners: Part 1

**Hello everyone! How are you all? Yes this is one of my shorter chapters, but this is a two parter, because I will be taking another 2 or 3 week hiatus. The SATs are coming up as well as quite a bit of other things, so I need a bit of a break for a bit. I will return though. Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

Everyone was seeming to have quite the fun time, well everyone except for the evilest person in Remnant, Vesh. Even Oobleck and Port were having quite the time, but Peter had probably had a bit too much to drink. Soon enough, Ironwood even asked for Professor Goodwitch's hand in a dance. She seemed a bit hesitant, but Ozpin gave her a look that said, 'Just go and dance,' so she did.

Jaune then slid over to the awkward couple and said, "I see you two are hiding at the punchbowl too."

"Yep." Ruby replied, emphaticizing the 'Y' and popping the 'P'.

"Sure are." Vesh said as well.

After a brief moment of silence, Jaune crossed his glass in front of Vesh and said, "To the socially awkward."

"I can drink to that." The evil side said, clinking his glass against the blonde's as Ruby giggled a bit and connected her glass as well.

"Sorry things didn't work out with Weiss." Ruby said to her friend.

"I'm not." Vesh thought.

"Meh, its fine. Neptune's pretty cool. I get why she went with him."

"What do you mean?" Red asked.

"Well, come on, not many people can pull off blue hair." The swordsman said.

"No they cannot." Vesh said, almost perfecting his imitation of Ike.

"Well, you need to take a look out at the dance floor." The blue haired teen said.

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked as he began to take a drink of his punch.

"Weiss came to the dance alone." The Grimm Reaper said.

Jaune choked on his drink a little bit and said, "What?" He then looked over to see the white haired girl messing around with flowers, only for one to wilt.

"Ya, she said she had too much to focus on to worry about boys." The poor girl looked crushed as the flower refused to stay upright. She then looked over to see a happy, smiling Blake, Sun, and Neptune.

This only seemed to upset Jaune who said, "Hold my punch." He gave it to Vesh and began to walk away.

"Wow, what a one liner to walk away with." Vesh said. Ruby then grabbed the cup and took a sip out of it. "Did you just drink his punch?"

"What, he's not here." Ruby protested.

"Sometimes Ruby, you can…" His thought was then cut off by a major headache. He fell to his knees and cried out in pain.

"Ike, Ike?!" Ruby said worried.

Weiss then quickly rushed over to the pair. "His he okay?" The heiress asked.

"I don't he just collapsed." Ruby said.

Vesh shook the dazed feeling from himself and sat up. "I'm fine. Don't worry. Probably just my nerves or something."

"Nerves?" Weiss asked.

"We don't have the least stressful life in the world." The dark side pointed out. "I'm going to go get some fresh air."

"I'll come with you." Ruby offered, but was quickly shut down.

"No, please, don't let me ruin your night. Just stay here and enjoy yourself. I'll be back soon." The archer then walked outside, onto one of the balconies. He looked to his left to see Jaune and Pyrrha talking, but couldn't worry himself with mischief at the time. "Now, let's see what's happening." He said to himself as he sat down cross legged. After a few seconds of meditation, he fell into a trance like state.

-In Agartha-

**(I think this next part may jump a bit, so I'll try to be as clear as I can)**

Eisenhower and his force walked through the clearing, within eyesight of the ocean. "It'd be a nice view if I wasn't about to go risk my life." He thought to himself. The group carried on, killing a few Grimm here and there as they progressed forward. Eventually, an all too familiar roar was heard. This had become the signal that a wave of Grimm was approaching. However, it was this same roar that alerted Vesh to the nest being attacked. "Everyone get ready!" Eisenhower called out. The makeshift militia that he was in command of readied their weapons. Knowing that his opponent would be Beowolves, the shape shifter decided it would be best to use his opponent's biggest asset against them, speed. He shifted his weapon to two daggers, one in reverse grip, and his body as well. He opted to change into a more agility and thinner body rather than stay with the leaner one he was so well accustomed to.

In the skies above the brain version of Vale, Vesh waited for his sign of the attack. That's when the ear shattering roar hit him. "Ahh, attacking another Beowolf sector, ehh. Let's see how you do compared to this." He then began to focus more of his inner guardians to the sector being attacked "There, let's just hope that finally kills those pests." He then unfocused himself and returned to the world outside of Ike's mind.

Meanwhile, the raiders attacking the other sectors were begging to start their attacks on a nest as well. Rideat was the next to encounter a roar, only this time from Ursa. "This is going to be fun." HE said, somewhat sadistically.

"What the hell is wrong with this kid?" One student of Beacon asked another.

"I don't quite think he's right in the head." The second teen replied, tapping his noggin.

"Who's not right in the head?" Rideat asked, magically appearing behind the two.

"Ohh… umm… uhhh." The two stammered.

"He isn't." Beacon student number one said, pointing at the other.

"Oh… ya, you know me, just a bit loco." Number two said.

The Faunus then draped an arm over student number two's shoulders, and pulled him aside. He then whispered into his ear, saying, "That make two of us." The hyena then walked away, laughing hysterical and leaving the poor students more afraid of his ally than the enemy.

As the group carried on, they soon met the giant wave of Ursa. With a crazed look in his eyes, Rideat quickly charged into the battle. He jumped in the air and pushed of the head of one Grimm. He then flipped forward, slashing into the head of another as he flipped. Rolling upon landing, the Faunus opened his hand, and let out a blast of fire dust into another Ursa in front of him. He spun and slashes into the Grimm next to him, and followed this attack with a strike from his baton, amplified by the lightning dust inside of it. He then did a few backwards handsprings, returning himself to a safe distance. However, he noticed one thing wrong this the beasts he was fighting, they were weak.

James was seeing a similar occurrence fighting the Goliath's. Everyone had told him this would be a nearly impossible fight, however the Grimm weren't proving to be as difficult of an enemy as he had original thought. The group had just reached the nest and begun the fight. James slashed into the leg of one, ripped his halberd back out, and spun and slammed it back in. He then jumped back, dodging an attack by one Goliath, and into the swing of another. He grabbed onto the tusk of the second beast, and ran up it. Reaching the base of the tusk, he slammed the tip of his weapon into the Grimm. He then pulled it back out and split it in two. He then used his two weapons as ice picks and climbed up the Goliath. As he reached the eye, the man then began to impale the beast's eye. However, the Grimm began to shake its head, throwing James off. As he flew, the older brother grabbed the tusk of another Grimm. He swung around the tusk a few times, before releasing and safely landing on the ground.

-Back to the Outside!-

Vesh broke from his trace like state and back into the real world. Before he could even stand up, he overheard Jaune and Pyrrha talking. "That's what I like about you. When we met, you didn't even know my name." The Spartan said.

"Couldn't have been out for too long, they're still talking." Vesh thought. "Well, maybe I was. It is these two after all." He then stood up as the two continued. "A blonde idiot who doesn't know a girl likes him, and a master fighter who is too scared to tell an idiot she likes him." He then scoffed. "It's sad how much these two were made for each other. Maybe I can push them in the wrong direction." He thought with a devilish smile.

"I guess, you're the kind of guy I wish I was here with. Someone who just, saw me for me." Pyrrha said.

"It's so obvious it hurts." Vesh said.

"What is?" Ruby asked from behind him. This caused him to jump a bit and spin around.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Vesh asked, with a bit of playfulness.

"No, just wanted to make sure you were okay." Red said.

"Ya, I'm fine, thanks." He then looked over to see Jaune and Neptune talking, with Jaune looking madder than he ever had. "Can't say the same for Neptune though."

Ruby then looked over at the two teens. "Should we go help him?" She asked.

"No, I'll just go. Go check on Pyrrha, she might need you right now." Ruby gave a little salute, that Ike would've thought was cute, but Vesh only saw as irritating and dashed off. Vesh then took a few steps back, sprinted forward, and jumped over to the balcony that the two other teens were on. He landed in between them, and rolled to his feet.

"Do you just jump everywhere?" Neptune asked his fellow blue haired teen.

"Don't change the subject." Jane said angrily, "How could you just turn her down like that?"

"Anger, something I can get behind." Vesh thought.

"Who?" Neptune asked.

"Weiss!" Jaune replied.

"Oh, so this is about Weiss, ehh." The archer the sat on the railing of the balcony. "What'd you do Neptune? Must've been bad, because I've never been Vomit Boy over here this mad." Jaune flashed a small look of anger at Vesh, but then returned his gaze back to Neptune.

"I…" was all the goggle wearer could say, before the blonde cut him off.

"I'll tell you what he did!" Jaune said. "He just crushes Wiess with no good reason!"

"It uhh, it just didn't work out." Neptune said as a weak way of defending himself.

"Well that was a horrible way to defend yourself." Vesh said, "Wanna give it another shot?"

"Uhhh…" was all Neptune said.

"Even worse. Lay into him Jaune." The archer said, eager to hear what Jaune was going to say.

"Do you think you're too cool, too many other options?" Jaune asked angered. "Weiss Schnee asked you to the dance. What in the world could possible keep you from goi…"

"I can't dance." Neptune admitted, shying away a bit.

"Beg your pardon?" Jaune asked.

"I can't dance, man." The blue haired teen said again.

"You can't dance?" Vesh asked.

"No, okay. I can't dance."

"You turn a girl down because you can't dance. Jaune, I think you need to yell at him a bit more." The archer said, hoping to see a fight soon.

"But… you're so cool." The blonde said.

"What?" The dark side said, nearly falling from the balcony.

"Thank you." Replied the gunner. "I try really, really hard."

"This is idiotic." Vesh thought.

"You would rather break a girl's heart and go to a dance alone, than just admit to everyone that you can't move in rhythm to music?" Jaune asked.

"That about sums it up, ya." Neptune answered quickly.

"Horrible isn't he?" The dark half said, appearing next to Jaune. "Just gets your blood boiling doesn't it?"

"Ike, be quite for a second, okay?" Jaune said, brushing the archer off. "Well, I certainly feel a lot better about myself." The swordsman said, turning around.

"Please, don't tell anybody." The teen who can't dance begged. "Look, if you want Weiss, she's all yours. I don't wanna get in your way."

"Just gets worse by the second." Vesh said to no one in particular.

Jaune turned around, sighed, and said, "Do you like her?"

"Ya, I mean, I don't too well yet, but she seems pretty cool."

"Then just go talk to her." Jaune said with some sadness in his voice. "No pickup lines, no suave moves, just be yourself. It certainly worked for Ike over here, plus I've heard that's the way to go." The blonde said, his true kindness shining through and sickening Vesh.

"Ya, but then…" The goggles wearer said, but was cut off.

"Hey, you don't have to look cool all the time. In all honesty, if you could be a little less cool, I'd really appreciate it. Ike already destroys me in that department, even with some of his dumber moments."

"What dumb moments?" Vesh asked.

"Headlight fluid, come on man." Jaune said, proving his point. **(And giving an excellent shout out to young Gavin Free)**

"Ya, okay." Neptune replied.

"Go talk to her." Jaune said. "I guarantee it'll make her night."

"Thanks." The less evil blue haired boy said. "You're a really cool guy, Jaune." He then walked over towards the blonde.

"Don't lie to my face." Jaune replied, fist bumping Neptune.

"I'm not quite sure how I feel about you." He then said to Vesh.

"That's what I aim for." The dark side replied boredly. The boy named after a god then walked away.

"And what about you?" Jaune asked Vesh.

"What about me?"

"Well, you seem a bit off tonight. That might just be the pressure or something else though."

"I think it's these weird headaches I've been having." Blue said, lying.

"Ya, maybe. You should probably go spend your night with Ruby though."

"Oh, no it's fine. I'm right here for you."

"No, really, go be with her." Vesh then began to walk away. "Oh, and Ike."

"Ya?"

"You should probably let a doctor check out those headaches. They make you kinda… mean."

"I will." He then walked back into the ballroom.

The teen walked into the ballroom, and was greeted by the pleasant sound of classical music. Despite being horribly evil, Vesh loved to hear some of the older greats, like Meethoven and Bozart. His pleasant time was then interrupted by Ruby rushing over to him. "Objective complete. Pyrrha is perfectly fine."

"Good." Vesh said.

"So now what?" Ruby asked.

"Well, your sister would probably kill me if she planned this entire event and I didn't dance with you once, so shall we?" He then offered to escort the girl to the dance floor.

"So this is just for Yang?" The girl asked.

"Yep, I hate dancing more than you do." The two then began to waltz like more of the other couples.

"It's dumb that I have to wear these heels."

"Ya didn't you just wear flats?" Vesh asked.

"Weiss said, 'Those are unlady like and an atrocity to fashion.'" The girl said in a rather good impression of Weiss, which brought a small smile to the archer's face. "Speaking of which, where is Weiss?"

"I have no idea. I'm sure she'll show up somewhere."

"Ya, I just feel bad for her, because of the whole Neptune thing."

"If Neptune's going to be that way, let him be that way. He's a bit more of a prick than I assumed at first."

"You can't really judge someone on one action though. I mean, you and Yang weren't too happy with each other for a while, or you and Weiss." That's when Vesh winced a little bit. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Ya I'm fine." He replied.

"Still headaches?" Red asked.

"Yup, they've just been constantly bothering…" His face then went blank for a second and he fell over. Ruby caught the teen before he hit the ground. After a few seconds, the life returned to his eyes.

"Ruby?!"

"Yes?"

The blue haired teen then hugged the girl. "I've missed you so much," Ike said.

* * *

**What a place to leave it at huh? Wow, I'm pretty evil. Anyways, I don't have any big news on the story, but if you like this, then you might want to check out my SAO fanfic as well. Before I go though, I do want to say something a bit more... personal. Last night, I was laying in bed and for some reason this horrible feeling of loneliness hit me. I don't know why but it did. Anyways, this reminded me of when I first started writing. Back then, I had just broken up with my girlfriend and things kinda sucked. So, to get everything out I started writing this. And I've always heard that whenever you make a character or anything like that, you put so much of yourself into that character. It wasn't until last night that I realized how much of myself I've but into Ike. You see, Ike kinda represents everything I've wanted to be. Using that logic, I then realized that Vesh is basically everything I hate about myself, but at the same time can't get rid of. Vesh is this person who is constantly pretending to be someone else and I think that's the way I am. I can't show how much I love so many of the things I do without feeling like everyone will just see me as some weird kid or something like that. Hell, most of my friends don't even know I write. However, I do have to thank each and every one of you for the support you've showed me over these past few months. When I first began writing, I thought that about 10 people would favorite this and get a thousand views if I'm lucky. Those expectation have been blown out of the water. You've given me the outlet to let go of anything that I need to, and I can't thank you enough for that. I truly appreciate it so much. Anyways, I'll be back in a few weeks. Bye!**


	33. Chapter 9: Changing Partners: Part 2

**Hello everyone! Sorry this chapter took so long to get out, but as you can see it is a long one. I think this might be the longest chapter I've ever written. I don'****t think anything is new in my life, so I hope you enjoy. Also, before I go, OmnimonAllDelete did write a very helpful comment. I tried addressing as many of the issues he pointed out as I could and will address more of them in the future. Yet again, thank you for the criticism I really appreciate it. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy :)**

* * *

-Previously on VoB-

His face then went blank for a second and he fell over. Ruby caught the teen before he hit the ground. After a few seconds, the life returned to his eyes.

"Ruby?!"

"Yes?"

The blue haired teen then hugged the girl. "I've missed you so much," Ike said.

-This Time on VoB-

"What do you mean?" The girl asked. "I've been here the entire time."

"Ruby, this is going to sound crazy but…" The same blank expression returned for a few seconds until life returned to his face.

"But?" The girl asked.

"But… You look liken you need some punch! I'll be right back." Vesh replied.

-To Agartha!-

Ike popped back into Agartha again, only to be very upset. "Wait, no!" He yelled. "Damn it!" Ike then punched the wall in his room. "I need more time!" Unfortunately, he could only wait for his comrades to take down the hives. Then James's voice came over the comms. "Is anyone else finding their fight surprisingly easy?" He asked.

"Yep." Rideat replied.

"As am I." One of the Hunters replied.

"I'm not." Eisenhower said over. "Send as much help as you can, because these things aren't going down easy." This only made Ike feel more helpless as he could do nothing to try to aid his friends.

-Meanwhile in the Real World!-

"Pesky little prick is still interfering." Vesh thought to himself as he poured punch into one of the two cups.

"I think we have something you might be interested in." Emerald sang as she strolled up next to the evil teen.

"And that is?" He asked as he filled the second one.

"A little plan of ours." Mercury answered walking up to his other side.

"Well, out with it then."

"Ah ah ah." Emerald said with a shake of her finger. "When have to know if you're in first before we let you in on the plan."

"How do I know if I should help with the plan if I don't know what the plan is?" The archer asked.

""He does have a good point." Mercury said to his partner in crime.

"Fine, we'll tell you the plan first. You see that big tower right there?" The girl asked.

"Yes." Vesh replied.

"That's the Cross Continental Transmit tower." She said.

"I'm pretty sure he already knows that." The grey clad teen pointed out.

"Whatever. Anyways we're going to break into it, well Cinder is." The green girl said.

"For what reason?" Blue asked.

"For information. We're hacking into the network to see what we can find for future plans." Green answered.

"What future plans?" Vesh asked.

"We'll inform you of that later when we know you're on our side." Grey replied.

"I'm not jumping into anything unless I know exactly why I'm doing what I'm doing." Vesh replied with a hint of anger.

"We've played by your rules this entire time, so this time you're going to play by ours. Don't think that Cinder has forgotten your little actions the night of the dust robbery." Emerald retorted.

After a short glaring match, Vesh replied with a simply, "Alright. And that was an old me by the way." Blue then took a drink of his punch and began to walk back to Ruby with the other two close behind. "What's my job?" He asked.

"We simply want you to keep anyone from leaving the dance or at least stall them." Grey replied.

"That's it? No fighting? Why can't you two do that?"

"We're over watch, plus you have more credibility here. If Cinder needs any help, she'll let you know." Emerald then slipped something into his ear. "She'll tell you through that comm. Got it?"

"Yep."

"Good, enjoy the dance." Mercury said before the evil duo broke off and Vesh arrived back to Ruby.

"Thanks!" The girl said happily as she accepted her drink. She then gave Vesh a quick peck on the cheek. "So what did those two want?"

"Oh, they were just asking if I knew of any good cafés around here."

"Did you tell them about the Sunrise?" The girl asked.

"Sure did." The blank expression then returned to his face.

"Ike, are you okay?" Ruby asked, but she received no answer. "Ike?" She waved her hand in front of the boy's face.

Life then returned to the body as Ike took control for the second time. "Ruby, I don't have a lot of time…" He was then cut off by the girl.

"Before you say anything, why do you keep just spacing out?" She asked.

"That's not important right now. Look, I'm…."

"Not finishing your sentence until you tell me what's up with you tonight." The girl protested. Ike threw his hands in the air in frustration, before losing control of his body to Vesh once again. "So are you going to tell me what's up with you tonight or no?"

"I guess I'm just nervous about everything and keep focusing on different stuff."

"Nervous about what?" Red asked.

"Oh, you know…. school, Victor, Torchwick, lots of stuff. I think I'm going to take a walk outside to clear my head a bit." He replied.

"Okay, you do that. I'm going to go find Yang." Ruby then walked off to find her sister as Vesh began pushing his way towards an exit.

-To Agartha!-

"I was so close that time!" Ike yelled as he punched the wall again.

"Hey! You break something and you're gonna pay for it!" A voice said from downstairs.

"Sorry!" He called back.

"Ike, be ready to swap back into the real world soon." James said. "I'm close to finishing this fight."

"Me too." Rideat added.

"Same here." Headmaster Tin responded.

"As am I." Professor Zauberer chimed in.

"Good, the more time I have outside my head, the better." Ike answered.

-Guess Where We're Going-

Vesh was walking to one of the balconies, when he was called over by Jaune. "Ike, come over here!"

Vesh growled and put a disgusted look on his face but walked over to the blonde. "Yes, Jaune?"

"I need you to help me find a dress." He said.

"A dress?"

"Yep." The swordsman said prouder than he should have.

"And why do you need a dress?"

"Well, I told Pyrrha that if she did come to the dance with a date then I'd wear a dress."

"And she isn't here with a date." Blue pointed out.

"So I need a dress." Jaune added.

"I have an idea."

-Cut to the Halls of Beacon-

"Ike, what are you doing?" Jaune asked as the other teen began to mess with the lock on a dorm room door.

"Breaking into a room. What's it look like I'm doing?"

"I mean why?"

"You needed a dress, right?"

"Ya."

"Well, I'm getting you one. Just make sure nobody sees us."

Jaune then began to watch the halls for anyone approaching. "Where'd you learn to do this anyways?" The blonde asked.

"Picked it up a few years ago. A guy named York taught me." The archer replied.

After another minute of messing around with the lock, Jaune asked, "Are you almost done."

"Look, these locks aren't easy to pick." Vesh replied angrily. "Do you want to try?"

"Not really." Jaune replied sheepishly.

"Then stay quiet and keep looking out for anyone."

"I'd rather not be breaking into a room." Jaune mumbled.

"I heard that." Vesh replied. After another minute of messing around with the lock, Vesh managed to pick it. "We're in." He said as he stood up and pushed open the door. The two teens then walked into the room.

"Whose room is this anyways?" Jaune asked.

"Team LADS." Blue replied. **(They haven't been brought up in a while.)**

"Why?"

"I figured Lindsay would have an extra dress." The evil boy replied calmly. He then searched through the closet for a few moments, before producing a white dress. "And she does." He tossed it to Jaune who failed to catch it, causing Vesh to facepalm. "Just pick it up and try it on." He then pointed to the bathroom attached to the dorm. Jaune opened the door and entered.

Alone in the room, the dark side began to search through the team's belongings, trying to find anything he wanted to keep. He did just break in after all, might as well be rewarded for his actions. The transition from one of the body's hosts to the other then began.

"Where am I?" Ike thought to himself as he looked around the room. "Did someone drag me into their room?" He thought. Blue then walked outside and looked around in the hall. It didn't look familiar to him. "Maybe if I look around the room I'll figure out where I'm at." He thought as he poked his head back into the room. Vesh then took control once more, only to lose said control shortly after. "What a waste of a transition. Ehh, not like that's new though." He began searching through the rooms stuff to find a picture of Lindsay and Michael together shortly. "Why am I in team LADS room? Did they take me here? Or maybe Vesh broke in trying to steal something while everyone's away."

"Hey Ike, I got the dress on but can you zip up the back?" Jaune asked as he walked out of the bathroom.

"Jaune? Why are you in a dress?" Ike asked.

"What do you mean? That's why we came in here." The blonde replied.

Vesh then regained the body, and said, "Oh Jaune, you look just lovely."

"Umm… thanks? Can you just zip this thing up?"

"Certainly." The blue haired boy then zipped the back of the dress up. "I can said with the upmost certainty that this is the weirdest thing I've ever done."

Jaune laughed a bit and said, "Me and you both."

Ike took control once more and asked, "Jaune, why are you in a dress? And why are we in team LADS room?"

"You brought me here, remember? To get this dress because of what I said to Pyrrha. Are you okay?"

"Fine, listen Jaune I need to tell you something."

"I think you should see a doctor first. Your memory doesn't quite seem to be right."

"Jaune, I'm fine. Listen, I'm not me."

"What do you mean you aren't you?"

"I mean that someone else is controlling my body."

"Like another person?" The blonde asked.

"Exactly, it's another person inside my head. A very evil person who takes control of my body and wants to keep it, that's why I need you to help me and tell professor Ozpin, okay?" Ike then lost control of his body again.

"Wait, are you serious?"

"Serious about what?" Vesh asked.

"About someone else in your head controlling your body?"

Vesh then began to laugh and said, "Of course not! How would that even work?"

Jaune began to chuckle a little bit. "I guess that is pretty farfetched. You had me going there for a while."

"Oh, I know I did."

"Now, what should I do with these?" Jaune asked holding out his clothes.

"Oh, give me those." Vesh answered taking the clothes. "We'll just throw these in here." He said, putting the tuxedo in Lindsay's closet.

"Shouldn't we take those with us?" The blonde asked.

"No." The blue haired boy replied.

"What if someone sees them in there?"

Vesh patted the boy on the shoulder and said, "Think of it as an incentive to get the dress back. We'll go ahead and leave the door unlocked so you can get in. Now, let's get back to the dance." The two then walked out of the room, closing the door behind them. Vesh contemplated if he should lock the door or not but decided against it, realizing the mischievous deed might make Jaune reconsider if Vesh really was controlling the body.

As the two continued down the hall, Ike took control once again. "So do you believe me?" He asked.

"About what?"

"About a second person controlling me!" Ike replied.

Jaune paused for a minute but said, "Ahhhh, you almost got me. I'm not falling for that twice."

"Falling for what? It's the truth."

"Sure it is. Let's just get back to the dance."

"You go ahead, I'm going to go back to my room real quick."

"Alright then, don't be too long or else Ruby will start to get worried."

Ike began sprinting through the halls searching desperately for anyone who could relay his message of Vesh to Ruby, Ozpin, or anyone he knew but failed. Vesh took control of the body once more and began walking back to the ballroom so that nobody would wonder where he had been for so long.

-Into Ike's Head-

"So were you able to convince him?" James asked.

"No, I wasn't." Ike replied through the comm.

"Damn, don't worry you still have five tries tonight." James replied.

"Guys, I could really use some help over here." Eisenhower said over his comm.

"Don't worry, I'm on my way." Rideat replied.

"Anyone who has cleared their hive, immediately move your forces to aid Eisenhower's." Ike added.

-Back Into Beacon-

As soon as the blue haired boy returned to the ballroom, he found the welcome sight of Jaune in a dress dancing with the rest of the team JNPR. He was then pulled over somewhere else by the only monkey Faunus he knew, Sun. "Hey Ike, what's up?" He asked as he draped an arm around the boy's shoulder and led him elsewhere. "I haven't seen you all night."

"No, probably because you've been with Blake all night. Speaking of which, where is she?"

"She went and got some punch, so I needed someone to talk to for a little bit."

"And I'm that lucky person?" Vesh asked as the two reached the chairs against the wall.

"Exactly." The Faunus said as he sat down and patted the seat next to him.

"I'd love to sit and talk for a bit, but I have tooooo… Find Ruby!" The archer said finding an excuse to leave. "See ya Sun." As the evil teen began to walk away, Ike once again took over the body.

"Alright, I have to find Ruby." He thought, but then found someone even better, Professor Ozpin. The boy quickly walked over to the man standing by the wall. "Professor Ozpin." The teen said.

"Ahh, Mr. Mers. How are you tonight, and where is Ruby?"

"That's not really important right now."

"Oh, and what is?" The man asked.

"Professor, I know what I'm about to say will sound crazy, but I'm not in control of myself."

"And who is then?"

"It's another person inside of my head. I don't have a whole lot of time to explain, but do you kind of understand what I'm saying?" Ike asked.

"Yes." The headmaster replied.

"Really?"

"Of course. I've known this for a while."

"You have?!" The archer asked with a mixture of confusion and anger.

"Why of course. Do you not think I wouldn't notice a difference in one of my students?"

"I… uh… I suppose you would. But why haven't you said anything"

"As far as I can tell, there isn't much I can do about it. This is your battle, not mine."

"But what about my friends?" Blue asked.

"What about them?" Ozpin replied.

"What if this other person tries to severe all the bonds I have with people?"

"Mr. Mers, as far as I can tell, this other person has done little to destroy your friendships. It appears that he's simply afraid of people discovering who he really is. I seriously doubt that he'll do much to change much in your life until he has some kind of opportunity for something else."

"And if he does?"

"Then I'm always ready to protect my students." Ozpin replied. "I wouldn't worry about what's going on out here, but worry about your inner battle."

"But, if you've known this all along, why haven't you told team RWBY or team JNPR yet?"

"Mr. Mers, your friends have their hands full with their own plans. I would hate to add a burden that they can do nothing about. Wouldn't you."

"I suppose so. Thank you Professor."

"You're welcome. Now if I was you I'd spend what time I had with my friends and loved ones instead of worrying about matters out here. Let's me take care of your body while you watch over your mind."

"Will do." Before the boy could say anything else, the transformation between minds occurred once more.

"Goodbye, Mr. Mers."

"Goodbye, Professor." Vesh said as he walked away. **(This is a scene that I was really torn between adding or not. I kinda like it, but tell me what you think, because I might change it to Ozpin not knowing.)**

Vesh soon rejoined the two sisters on top of the balcony looking down at the ballroom. Yang was currently holding Ruby in one of her infamous death grips with Ruby flailing to get out. "Aw, thanks!" The older sister said. "It wasn't all me, though. Weiss did a lot too."

"Yang would you please stop murdering your sister?" Vesh asked.

"Fine." The older girl said, releasing Red. "Tomorrow it's back to work."

"I'm pretty sure we can handle whatever gets thrown at us." Ruby said.

"Ya, we've survived plenty of death traps in the past. Why shouldn't we push our luck?" Blue replied.

"Well, everything except for that." Ruby said pointing towards Jaune who was now pushing his way through a laughing crowd to Pyrrha. Ike then regained control of his body.

"Wow, I had no clue Jaune swung that way." Yang said.

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't." Ike replied with a smile on his face. **(Please don't see this as homophobic or anything)**

"REN! THIS IS HAPPENING!" Nora could be heard yelling as she drug Ren over towards their teammates and joined the dance.

"What are you so happy about over there?" Yellow asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just happy to see who he's dancing with. Come on." He then the boy then led Red down to the dance floor to join their friends as Yang watched with a smile on her face.

"You know, I really am glad to be here tonight." Ruby said to Ike as they danced.

"Ya, me too. We don't really have enough time together like this anymore."

"What do you mean? We live together." The girl said.

"It's just… I'm sure you'll understand later." After a short dance with his girlfriend, Ike returned back to his head and Vesh once again took control of the body. Ruby and the evil teen then walked over towards the exit, when Vesh heard Cinder through his ear. "We're going now. Keep an eye on the exit and try to keep everyone inside."

"Got it." He replied.

"What was that?" Red asked.

"Oh, nothing. Pretty night, huh?"

"It really is." The Grimm Reaper replied. She then started walking out of the exit.

"What're you doing?" Vesh asked very nonchalantly, as he tried to block her way.

"I'm taking a better look outside." She replied walking past him. "Weirdo." That's when she saw Cinder running across the buildings. "I wonder who that is." She said.

"Who?" The archer asked.

"The woman running on the buildings over there."

"What woman? I didn't see any woman."

"Well I did, and I'm going to investigate." The girl said and before Vesh could say anything else, she was already gone.

"Way to take the most obvious path available. Why not just know on the door and say, 'Hey, I'm gonna go rob a place. Everyone cool with that?'" Vesh said to Cinder.

"Did I get spotted?" Cinder asked.

"Of course you got spotted."

"Well handle it." The woman replied. Vesh, with no other option began running after Red.

The pair began walking up to the CCT tower and Vesh still protesting why they were even there, "See, there's nothing even here. Let's just go back."

Ruby then saw the body not so well hidden in the bushes. "Except for a body in the bushes." Ruby replied as she entered her code in for her locker to come to her.

"You couldn't even hide the bodies?" Vesh asked Cinder.

"What did I say last time?" She replied.

Ruby's locker then smashed into the ground as Mercury and Emerald came over the comm. "A party guest is leaving." The green haired girl said.

Cinder sighed over and said, "Can't you just do your job, Ike?"

"I'm a bit busy with a little red girl right outside the door of the tower." He replied as he called in his own locker and retrieved his bow.

"Which guest?" Cinder asked.

"Ironwood." Emerald replied.

"I don't want to alarm anyone, but Red and I are about to head up the elevator." Vesh added in.

"I guess the general's had enough fun for one night." Mercury added. "Should we intervene?"

"No, we're done here." Cinder replied. Just as she said that, the door to the elevator opened and the red and blue pair stepped out.

"Hello?" Ruby called out. Her voice echoed slightly in the room.

"See, nobody's here. Might as well just leave." The archer said. Ruby then stumbled forward a bit and glared down at her shoes.

"Is anyone there?" The girl called out again, ignoring Vesh. Unfortunately for the evil schemers, Vesh was switched out of the body and Ike was put in. "Hello?" Ruby called out again. Ike followed her cautiously, picked up on the obvious hint that danger was near. Cinder then slowly stood up from her hiding spot. "Excuse me." Red said. "You know it's not a masquerade party, so why don't you take off that…" She was cut off by Cinder pulling out a vial of dust and waving it, forming crystals in the air.

"Uh oh." Ike said before the crystals were launched at the girl. Ruby twirled her weapon and blocked the projectiles. At the same time, Cinder looked to Ike and nodded as if to say to help her. "Oh, you have something coming lady, but it's not help." Ruby began firing back and Ike switched to his blades and charged forward. Cinder blocked the shots headed her way, and ducked under Ike's first attack.

"What are you doing, kid?" She asked as she did a backwards handspring to create distance between the two. "You're on our side."

"I don't know who you talked with, but I am not on your side." He replied.

"Of course, trust someone only to have them stab you in the back. Real original." The woman said. She then pulled out her own blades through a bit of fire. Ruby pulled her scythe out of the ground and launched herself towards the evil woman. Cinder preformed another few backwards handsprings before drawing three arrows of her own. The arrows were sent down at the girl, who skidded backwards from the explosion. Ike then burst through the flames and unleashed a barrage of slashes at the woman. Cinder expertly dodged around the attacks. The elevator door then opened once again to reveal that Ironwood had joined the three in the tower. Cinder landed a solid punch to Ike's chest to send him skidding backwards. During his small slide back, Ike switched back to his bow and launched an explosive arrow at the woman. The evil woman then jumped backwards from the explosion, which gave her just enough cover to quickly make her escape.

"Should we be worried about the kid revealing who we are?" Mercury asked Cinder as the two danced.

"Hmm… No, I don't think we should be. After all, I'm sure there's something not quite too legal that kid has done." Cinder replied.

"What gives you that idea?" Mercury asked.

"Just a hunch." The woman replied.

-Into Argartha!-

Ike returned back to the world inside his head and didn't waste a moment's time. He grabbed his bow and sprinted out of the door of the building he was in. "I'm back and heading towards the fight to help." He said.

"Good, we need it." James replied.

Ike sprinted through the woods and burst into a clearing where he saw the battle unfolding before his eyes. Most of the people fighting were holding back the Grimm as best as they could, with Eisenhower and James fighting Vesh. Eisenhower had changed his look to make his body much smaller and skinnier, which helped with his fighting as he was currently wielding a two sided knife. James had switched to using his halberd in its smaller axe version with the assault rifle for the handle. James swung the blade sideways at his foe, who jumped backwards from the attack. The older fighter then continued his swing, by pivoting on his heel, and sprayed a barrage of bullets at Vesh. However, Vesh simply propelled himself upwards, dodging the projectiles. What he wasn't expecting was to have company in the air. Ike had charged forward and launched himself at his evil half. The two collided in the air with Ike's shoulder smashing into Vesh's stomach. The good teen then flipped backwards in the air and planted his feet against Vesh's chest. The good archer jumped off of Vesh's chest, sending one teen even higher than before and the other plummeting towards the ground. Vesh smashed into the ground, raising a cloud of dust along with him. Ike landed much more gracefully next to his brother and companion. "You don't think we got lucky enough for that to kill him, do you?" Ike asked.

The dust then began to settle just in time for the trio to see Vesh push himself back to his feet. "Take that as a no." Eisenhower replied. The dark half then rushed at the three, aiming at Eisenhower. The shape shifter switched to a massive hammer and smashed the ground, sending Vesh into the air. Ike capitalized on the airborne foe with a flying dropkick, which sent Vesh backwards and skidding to a stop. Before the evil fighter had a chance to recover, James was already attacking with Klingen Ruhm in its halberd form. The older fighter first tried a vertical swing, which was dodged. Vesh responded with an attack from one of his blade, which James quickly deflected. James then dropped down to one knee and swept Vesh's feet from under him. Vesh landed on his back and looked up to see James attempting to stab down into him. The evil teen rolled backwards and back to his feet, switching to Aeolus at the same time. He then launched an explosion arrow at James's feet, sending him flying into the crowd of Grimm.

As James began to fend off the soulless monsters, Eisenhower and Ike continued the battle. Eisenhower had shifted to a larger build, giving him more strength and kept his war hammer in hand. Vesh launched a few arrows at the two, who dodged the attack. Eisenhower then switched to his massive shield and planted it firmly into the ground as another wave of arrows approach the Ike and himself. As the arrows bounced off, Ike peered over the top of the shield and launched an explosive arrow of his own towards his enemy. Vesh dove to the side to avoid the explosion, which gave the other two the opening they needed. Eisenhower picked his shield back up, switched it to a smaller version, and threw it at Vesh. As Vesh returned to his feet, he was greeted with the shield to his face, which made a satisfying ringing sound upon impact. Ike then advanced forward and slashed at his enemy, who managed to dodge, but not unscathed. Ike then slashed at Vesh's side, which the evil teen blocked. However, Vesh was thrown off balance by the attack and was quickly sent flying by a shield bash by Eisenhower.

The evil teen skipped off the ground a few times, until he skidded on his side to a stop. Vesh slowly pushed himself up as his two opponents walked towards him. "Ready to give up?" Eisenhower asked somewhat smugly.

"Never." Vesh replied as he stood back onto his feet, rather shakily though. However, he was now determined to silence Eisenhower. With a new found fire, Vesh attacked the two again. He led off with a spinning kick, which Ike blocked by crossing his blades in front of him. Vesh then grabbed onto the teen and tossed him over towards Eisenhower. Eisenhower caught the teen, but soon saw an explosive arrow being notched by his evil opponent.

"Look out!" He called as he tossed Ike out of the way and dove to the side himself, barely dodging the explosion. Before the shape shifter could return to his feet, Vesh tossed him up into the air, and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying upwards. The good teen was his next target as he quickly approached him. Ike shot an arrow at his opponent, who ducked under it and closed the gap between the two. He then sliced at Ike's chest, earning a small hit, and kicked the teen away. Before Eisenhower landed, he was shoulder checked by the evil teen, sending him skipping away. Ike returned to the battle and instantly had an arrow fired at his head. The good archer ducked under the shot, and fired back, which missed as Vesh rolled forward. Eisenhower attempted to aid his comrade by charging with his war hammer in hand. He swung downwards but his attack was sidestepped by Vesh. Vesh then slashed into Eisenhower's stomach, dropping his aura by quite a bit. Ike tried charging in to help, but received a swift kick to the face, stunning him slightly. A second one was then delivered to Eisenhower, stunning him as well. The two halves of the same person then began to clash blades with Vesh being on the offensive. Ike soon received a small slash to the chest, throwing him off guard. He was then punished for this mistake with a knee to his stomach and an explosion arrow stabbed into the ground next to him. The arrow exploded, sending Ike flying backwards. Eisenhower then tried to land and upward attack from behind, but missed and was rewarded with his feet being swept from under him. Vesh loomed over the Hunter ready to deliver the killing blow, just in time for James to return to the battle.

"Hey jackass!" He called out. Vesh looked over at him just in time to see a few bullets fly past him. "Damn it, I knew this thing couldn't hit anything." James complained as he held his halberd in his hands. "Maybe this." He said to himself, as he broke his weapon into its second form of an assault rifle and an axe. He then fired a few bullets, only for Vesh to dodge under them. Ike got back up and charged at his other half from behind, blades ready. Vesh reached James and slashed at him, only to be blocked. Ike then swung Ichor at Vesh, only to be blocked as well. The good teen then attacked with Nero, only to have that be blocked as well. However, this time his weapon flew into the air. Vesh stabbed his own version of Nero into the ground, grabbed the weapon out of the air, and landed a solid attack onto James with it. He then spun and threw Ike's own weapon at him. Blue blocked it, dropping back onto the ground, only for Vesh to land an attack on him as well and kick him away.

"Had enough?" He asked the two brother's as the struggled to get up.

"I haven't." Eisenhower replied as he stood back up and switched to a single one-handed sword.

"Good." Vesh replied with an evil smile. The two then charged at one another. The former Hunter attacked first with an overhead swing, which was blocked. Vesh then tried to counter with an attack from Ichor, only to be blocked as well. Eisenhower then kicked his opponent in the chest and used the small opening to land a slash with his weapon. Ike then joined the fray with an attack of his own, only to be blocked and thrown over by Eisenhower. The dark side then rushed at the shape shifter. Eisenhower slashed horizontally, an attack which Vesh ducked under. Vesh then kicked him in the stomach and punched him in the side of his head. The former Hunter stumbled a bit and stabbed at Vesh, only to miss again. Vesh then landed a slash on Eisenhower's side, draining the man of all but a bit of his aura. The evil teen then closed the gap between the two once more and stabbed Eisenhower through the stomach. "Pathetic." The evil teen said. "I expected better from you than sloppy attack and a few scratches on me." The evil teen then removed his blade from Eisenhower's body, and let the man fall to the ground.

Ike looked up to see his friend's nearly lifeless body hit the ground. "No!" He called out as the man's body hit the ground.

Eisenhower then turned his head slightly to look over at the teen. "No war is won without casualties." He said. "I'm just one of them." His body then began to fade away as Ike's memory of him began fading.

Ike now had new strength in his body and pushed himself up to his feet. "You're paying for that." He said.

"Oh, give it a minute or two, you won't even remember he existed." Vesh replied.

"Doesn't mean you won't get what you deserve." James replied as he stood up as well. "And you deserve a lot more than what your about to get."

"Oh no, they're threating me." The evil teen said. "Three of you couldn't take me down, how are two of you going to?" He asked.

"Like this!" James answered as he charged forward. James spun his halberd, smacking Vesh in the face, and broke it into an axe and rifle. He then tried attacking with the axe, only to be blocked and have his legs swept. Ike then charged forward and dove his evil self. Vesh was sent flying backwards and Ike rolled back to his feet. Ike then charged forward as Vesh returned to his feet. The good archer stabbed forward with his blade, only to have Vesh sidestep the attack and hit him to the ground. The two then began to have a blade fight with blocks and attacks on both sides. Ike then landed a slash in Vesh's arm. He followed this by grabbing his opponent's head, slamming it into his knee, and kicking Vesh out of the way. James then returned to his brother's side as he began to spray bullets at Vesh with Ike switching over to his bow. Bullets and arrows alike traced Vesh's feet as he dove behind a rock for cover. As the brother's sprayed projectiles, Vesh notched an ice arrow, and quickly shot it at the pair's feet. This created a giant Ice wall, which he used to advance on the two. He dove through the ice barrier, slamming into Ike. He then kicked the good archer away from him, creating distance. This was followed by Vesh landing a firm kick to James's chest, sending him skidding backwards.

Vesh then began to fire arrows at James, who was able to dodge all of the projectiles. Ike then returned to the battle by slapping Vesh's bow down and out of his hands. Ike then swung Ichor at his enemy, but Vesh dodged by stepping backwards. Vesh then kicked Ike's right hand, sending one blade flying across the battle field. Ike then attempted to land a stab to Vesh's face only to be dodged and receive a punch to the back and a kick to the stomach. Ike then lost the grip of his other blade, which Vesh caught just in time to block a flying axe swing from James. Vesh then lost the grip of Ike's weapon, but picked his own back up. James quickly swung at Vesh's head, missing the attack. He continued his momentum and spun as he attempted a second one, which Vesh backed away from. Ike then slashed upwards, but was blocked by Vesh's bow. Vesh then continued to block attacks with the weapon meant for archery, until he was able to smack Ike in the head with it. Vesh then quickly changed back to his blades. He did this just in time for James to land a dropkick to Vesh's face. The older brother then picked up Vesh and threw him into the air. Ike was able to get back up on his feet in time to assist James's attack. Ike jumped into the air and reached where Vesh was. He then kicked his evil self back towards he ground. James then caught Vesh on his shoulder, hurting Vesh's back quiet badly. The older brother then tossed Vesh off his back and Ike dropped kicked the evil teen away from both of them.

Ike then charged after Vesh, planning to end the fight. Ike slashed downwards, which was blocked by Vesh's blades. Vesh then slashed Ike in the chest and punched him in the face. As Vesh attempted a stab into Ike's chest, but missed and received a slash of his own. Ike then tried to land a solid kick into Vesh's chest, but was sidestepped and stabbed into his shoulder, forcing the good teen to one knee. Ike then reached into his quiver and pulled out an explosive arrow and stabbed it into the ground. The dust exploded and sent the two halves on the same body flying backwards. Vesh slowly tried to push himself back up to his feet, but Ike was able to get to his first. The good teen then kicked Vesh in the stomach, sending him flying over towards his brother. James was able to catch the evil teen with one arm and held him there. Ike then sprinted over and dropped kicked his evil counterpart. Ike stayed on top of Vesh as they slowed to a stop.

"It's over." Ike said.

"No, you might win his battle, but you won't win actually beat me." Vesh replied. Having heard enough, Ike then stabbed through Vesh's head, killing this part of his evil self. As Vesh's body began to fade as Ike slowly lost consciousness and his vision faded to a black blur. **(So as I wrote this I realized that it might be confusing. I understand it, being the writer and everything, but if it is please tell me and I'll be more than happy to attempt to rewrite it so it's clearer.)**

-Back to the Real World!-

Ike once again took control of his body, but this time it seemed to be near the end of a lecture. "Do you understand the danger that you two put yourselves in tonight?" Ironwood asked.

"I think we're well aware of that." Ike replied.

"Then why did you come and try to fight someone?" The man asked.

"We were just investigating and had to defend ourselves." Ruby answered.

"That is neither of your jobs…" Before the man could finish, he was cut off.

"With all due respect General Ironwood, it is our job. We're students of Beacon, training to be Huntsmen and Huntresses. The city's safety as well as the safety of the people inside of it are our responsibly. We were simply acting as we have been trained to do." Blue said.

Ironwood seemed to have no response for this. He then decided that he would end the conversation while he was losing and leave without humiliating himself. "I expect to see both of you here tomorrow morning for questioning, understood?"

"Yes sir." The two teens replied.

"Good, now go enjoy the rest of your night." The couple then went down the elevator and rejoined the dance just in time to participate in the last dance of the night.

"May I have this dance?" Ike asked formally as he held out his hand.

This earned a small giggle from Ruby, who replied, "Why certainly sir." The archer then whisked his girlfriend out onto the dance floor and enjoyed what little time he had with her. The music then stopped, the students applauded the DJ on his work that night, and Ike returned back into his head. However, he did give Ruby the kiss that he had been waiting to give her for a while before he lost control of his body.

-Last Transition-

Ike regained consciousness in the same field that he was in when he had lost it. "Nice to have you back, little bro." James said as he helped Ike to his feet.

"I can't say it's good to be back."

"I don't really blame you, but look at the bright side, nobody died in the fight." James said

"Ya, I guess." Blue replied, however for some reason he felt that someone had. He just couldn't figure out why.

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**Whew, that just happened. I have all but severed Vesh's connection with Cinder, killed Eisenhower, and Ozpin does know about Vesh. I feel proud of this chapter and I hope everyone enjoyed. However, this is a chapter where I have changed a lot in the story, so it may be open for editing. I would greatly appreciate any reviews, pms, or any other comments on the story and about this chapter especially. While I do like what I've done in this chapter, you, as the reader, are a major part of the story and a major part of why I write. Therefore, I love to hear if you like my decisions with the story. While I will never change on certain parts of the story, others are a bit flexible, so I would love to hear from everyone. Thank you all for reading, and I look forward to seeing everyone next time :) BYE!**


	34. Chapter 10: I Get By

**Great, second time writing this, because my internet sucks but here we go! Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm doing pretty good myself. as for my life, I just got off track practice and decided to post the new chapter. Also, i figured out that i have tendonitis in my right knee and my calves are pretty much destroyed, which kinda sucks. I'm still running though. Anyways, I have nothing else to say up here, so enjoy!**

* * *

"I'm truly amazed we've made it this far with this few Hunters." James said to himself as he looked out at the sparing room filled with Hunters.

"Well it's been working." Rideat replied.

"Yes, but we could be more effective with a larger amount of Hunters." The older brother pointed out.

"How do you suggest we increase our numbers though? We can only find a few Hunters out in the wilderness." The Faunus pointed out.

"What about cities?"

"No cities have ever survived. They simply get overran by Grimm."

"That might work towards our advantage." Ike pointed out.

"How so?" James asked.

"If there's been a town that tried to settle in the wild, we could find more people to join our cause." The younger brother replied.

"But most towns only had a few Hunters in them." Rideat pointed out.

"Yes, but that was back when you were in Beacon. History has changed."

-FLASHBACK Cue swirly thingy-

"Can anyone tell me why Vale is so heavily protected?" Oobleck asked as he zoomed around the room.

"So we don't die?" Cardin answered.

"That's a simply way to answer it, yes. Has anyone heard of Slo-mo-vile?" The man asked. Nobody answered. "I figured not. Slo-mo-ville was a small village that tried to exist outside of Vale. Can anyone guess what happened to the town?"

"It got destroyed?" Jaune answered.

"Precisely. Slo-mo-ville was overran by Grimm and eventually destroyed. The buildings themselves burnt to the ground when two men decided that the destroyed village was a waste of space." Dr. Oobleck then flashed over to his board and pulled down a map littered with red X's, with four triangles on it and one circle. "As you can see here, this is a map of every settlement that has ever existed. The X's symbolize a settlement that has been destroyed and a triangle signifies a settlement that still exists. I'll let that amount of destruction and death settle for a second." The man then paused for a moment and took from his thermos. "Now, by this point you've probably noticed the circle on the map. Can anyone guess what this means?"

"A future settlement?" Ike guessed.

"Incorrect. Any other guesses?"

"A settlement that hasn't been destroyed yet, but is still fairly new?" Pyrrha guessed.

"Incorrect as well. This symbolizes the city of Achievement. Does anyone know about this city?"

"Achievement was a city built and inhabited by Hunters in hopes of creating a fifth long lasting city." Weiss answered.

"Very good, Ms. Schnee. Achievement was special, because it was able to survive for a short period of time and even had a chance of becoming a bigger city like Vale. However, a massive Grimm assault destroyed the city as well as killed all of the Hunters inside. When help arrived, the Grimm had already left and only a shell of the city was still standing. This shows the futility of creating a settlement outside of the safety of the major cities. Even with the help of hunters."

-Flashback over-

"So you're saying that we could find an entire city of Hunters?" James asked.

"Possibly, I did quite a bit of research after hearing about it, so it's possible that the Hunters are there now."

"Why only possibly? You remember them right?" Rideat asked.

"Yes, but I only knew names. It's not like the graveyard, which had holographic projections of the people." The archer pointed out.

"So we'll either find a jackpot or nothing." The older brother said.

"Exactly." The younger brother said.

"Well, it's worth a shot. Let's go." Rideat said as he began walking away, but was quickly stopped.

"There is an issue though." Blue added.

"And that is?" The hyena asked.

"We haven't cleared the area Achievement is in of Grimm."

"Meaning that we run the risk of being attacked." James pointed out.

"So why don't we just take everyone we got and go to the town?" The Faunus asked.

"Because one, Achievement is deep within Grimm territory and two, the larger the force we bring the more likely Grimm will be alerted of our position and attack. And if they attack we'll have no back up, in an area with a lot of Grimm, and will most likely die." The teen replied.

"So we have a mission that could kill us, but at the same time save us." Rideat said.

"Pretty much." Replied the halberd user.

"Well, sounds like a perfect fight for us." The Faunus said. "I'm in."

"Me too." James added.

"Well, I guess I can't let you two go alone, so I'm with you too." The teen said.

"Perfect, at least if we die we die all together!" Rideat said.

"I really don't want to die with him." James whispered to his brother.

"Ya, me either. He's a bit crazy." The younger brother whispered back.

"BUT THAT'S WHY YOU LOVE ME!" Rideat cheered. The two brothers were confused how the Fuanus heard them, but then they remembered… he's a Faunus.

-Anyone Wanna Guess What's Gonna Happen Now?-

"Why do we have to walk all the way here?" The Faunus asked.

"Do you want to be mauled by Grimm?" Ike asked.

"No."

"Well that's why. We can't take a bullhead with drawing a lot of attention and end up with us being murdered as soon as we touched the ground. I'm already not comfortable with going this deep into enemy lines with almost no chance of back up, so please try to not speak much."

"You know how difficult that is though." Rideat complained.

"We know, but if you be a good boy you'll get a steak whenever we get there." James said.

"Really?!" The blind teen asked, excitement in his eyes.

"Probably not." Ike said crushing Rideat's dreams.

After a few more minutes of walking, Rideat again complained, "Why did we walk all the way here?"

"There's no way we're going to live, is there?" Ike asked his brother.

"Probably not. We'll either die of annoyance or of Grimm. Take your pick."

"I think Grimm might kill me first, so I choose that one." Blue said.

"Good choice!" The Faunus added cheerfully.

The mood quickly got somber as the group approached Achievement. Smoke could be seen rising from inside the heavily damaged walls. There were holes in the wall, which showed the inside of the town was in no better shape than the exterior. All three readied their weapons as well as themselves as they approached the town. As the trio crept towards the walls, a shot rang out and dirt kicked up in front of them. "That's close enough!" A voice said. "I don't want to talk much, because of the Grimm, so leave now!" The woman talking in the speaker ordered.

"We are here to help!" Ike called out. "Let us closer so we can explain."

The voice was silent for a second, before replying, "Sheathe your weapons first and slowly come close. Keep your hands where we can see them. If you show any hostility, we will shoot to kill."

The three did as they were ordered and slowly approached Achievement. "I don't think they want our help or are will to help us if the welcoming committee is anything to go by." Rideat said.

"I think they're just being weary." James replied.

"Of what?" The Faunus asked.

"Probably people who want an easy way to find and sell a lot of stuff." Ike answered. "Achievement doesn't look so good right now."

"Ya, but they're Hunters. Shouldn't they be able to handle just about anyone attacking them?"

"Like I said, Achievement isn't looking too good. I doubt they want any more conflict within their walls. Plus, you never know what someone might be hiding. For all they know, we could have bombs on us." Ike said.

"I guess you're right." The blind Faunus said.

"Just let us do the talking and we'll be fine, okay Rideat?" James said.

"Be my guest. I doubt these guys are anything I couldn't handle though." Rideat replied in a cocky manner.

"You just keep thinking that." The archer replied.

The trio reached the gate to the wall, which had a small sniper's nest above it. A woman with a sniper rifle looked down at the three, with her aim trained on them. "Now, what do you want?" She asked. She had deep green eyes along with dirty blonde hair. She had a tan complexion and a forest themed wardrobe on. She looked no older than twenty-five. She had a small, but athletic build that seemed perfect for being a long range fighter.

"We want to help you while at the same time, you help us." Ike replied.

"And how do you plan to do that?" She asked.

"We've been working on clearing the Grimm out of infested areas and you just so happen to be living in one. You help us clear these places out and in return you get to live Grimm free."

The woman then laughed a bit and said, "Please, a Grimm free world? That's impossible. Now just get on out of here, before you get hurt." She then lowered her gun.

"Isn't it worth the chance?" James asked.

"No. Now leave before things go downhill." The woman said.

The brothers turned round and began to leave. "What a great waste of time." Ike said.

"You won't survive." Rideat said. The two brothers stopped and turned around.

"What'd you say?" She asked, readying her weapon again.

"You won't survive. Look at your city. Your walls are crumbling and it's obvious that plenty of your people are wounded, despite being some of the best fighters the world has to offer."

"Listen kid, if you don't want to have a bullet in your head in the next three seconds, I suggest you stop talking, turn around, and leave."

"Should we stop him?" Ike asked.

"No, he's onto something here." James replied.

"You won't shoot." The Faunus said calmly.

"And what makes you say that?" The sniper asked.

"It would make too much noise. You'd be killing me, yourself, and everyone inside those walls with one bullet."

"You have three seconds to leave." The woman said, resting her finger on the trigger. Rideat stayed still. "One." The Faunus didn't move. "Two." He stayed still. "Thr…" She was then cut off by a voice of a man.

"Are you seriously about to fire?" He asked. "You'll kill us all!" He said. A man in his fifties then walked up next to her. His hair was greying along with his full faced beard.

"Just trying to get rid of some pests." She replied.

The man looked down at the three of them. "What do you want?" He asked.

"We want help in clearing out Grimm in the area." Ike replied.

"Have you seen the Grimm around here? They're incredibly strong." He said.

"We understand, but if you will just let us in, we can explain everything." James replied.

After a moment of thinking, the older man said, "Very well, come on in." He then turned his attention towards the woman. "Open the gates for them, Dakota" He then walked out of view of the three. Dakota followed him down.

The sound of the gates unlocking could be heard, which was followed by Dakota pushing open the giant doors. "Hurry up." She said.

The three began to walk in, "Good job, Rideat." Ike said to his friend.

"Thanks." The Faunus said with a toothy smile. As the trio walked passed the woman, James winked at her and continued to walk forward.

"I will still shoot you." Dakota replied bluntly as she closed the gates.

As the group of five walked through the town, destruction painted the town. People tended to the injured the best that they could, others were attempting to make repairs, and some were still putting out fires, while a few mourned the loss of loved ones. The shocked feeling the three newcomers must've been apparent as the man began to speak, "This is nothing new to us now, sadly. This amount of death and destruction happens after every attack."

"When were you last attacked?" Ike asked.

"It doesn't matter. People are more worried about the next attack rather than the last one."

"Why don't you just leave?" Rideat asked.

"Civilization is miles upon miles away. We would have to walk home and that would be no simple task. Most if not all of us would die returning back to Vale or some other city."

"But you must realize that you won't be able to live here." James insisted.

"We have a better chance living here than trying to get to a city." Dakota said.

"I don't think you do." Blue argued. "Have you tried calling for help?"

"Multiple times. We've never been able to contact anyone. You've actually been the first people out here in a long while." The woman replied.

"Then why the hostility towards us?" James asked.

"We've had issues with people from the outside before. A group of terrorists were let into the city. This was before we began to defend against people. They were welcomed in and allowed to sleep within people's homes. However…" The man was then cut off by Ike.

"They launched an attack in the middle of the night. The terrorists killed people in their sleep until they were discovered and quickly killed." Ike said. "They still managed to kill eleven people though."

"Yes, I feel we have much to discuss Mr…." The man said trailing off opening a window for the trio to introduce themselves.

"Mers. Ike Mers. This is my brother, James and our friend Rideat Dente." The archer replied. The other two smiled and waved as they were named.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Zedong."

"No last name?" Rideat asked.

"No, only one. Why use two when one is all you are called."

"Fair enough. So do you really think everyone can live here?" James asked.

The man sighed. "Honestly, I don't know. However, hope is a difficult to have and keep. If we leave now, we will see ourselves as failure, the lives that have been lost here are for nothing, and many people will become dishearten. If we lose hope now and leave, we might as well just die here, because we'll almost certainly die out there. We might as well die for something if we're going to be slaughtered by Grimm." Zedong said.

The five of them then proceeded to walk up the stairs of the city hall and enter in. Zedong led them into his office and sat behind his desk. "Now then, how do you plan on helping us?" He asked.

"We plan on exterminating the Grimm everywhere." Ike replied. He waited for some kind mocking of response but received none.

"And how do you plan to do that?" The man asked, completely serious.

"We've discovered that the Grimm are controlled by a type of hive mind. There is one 'brain' that controls all of the Grimm in a sector." James said. "If we destroy a brain then the Grimm in the sector will be basically killed."

"And how big is a sector?" The man asked.

"Everywhere in the known world is separated into 100 sectors. We've cleared about half of them; however, we do need your help." The elder brother said.

"What kind of help?"

"Extermination kind of help. You see, these nests have become more and more difficult to destroy as we've progressed. So, we need you to help us kill the Grimm so we can kill the brain." The archer said.

"So we would be simply killing Grimm?" Zedong asked.

"And maybe lend a small hand when it comes to killing the brain. They aren't the easiest things to kill." Rideat said.

"And why are you attempting to kill all of the Grimm. It's quite an ambitious plan."

"Well… This world is kinda created by me. We're actually inside of my consciousness. If we kill the brains of the hive mind, which is actually a fragment of an evil version of me, then I'll be taken out of this world and back into the real world."

"And how big is your current force?" Zedong asked.

"It consists of the students and staff of Beacon as well as any Hunters who've been willing to help." James explain.

"How many casualties have you have?"

"A few injuries after every fight, but no deaths so far." Ike said.

"I find that hard to believe." Zedong said.

"How? We would know if someone dies." Rideat pointed out.

"I'm not sure you would." Dakota said.

"How wouldn't we?" Ike asked.

"You see, after so many invasions from the Grimm, we noticed that we hadn't had any causalities. Everyone thought this was strange, so we came up with a plan. We compiled a list of names that had everyone written down. After each day, we have people check in here. If someone doesn't check in, we know that they've died."

"It does seem odd that we haven't had a single casualty." James said.

"Would I really forget someone if they died here though?" Blue asked.

"It is your memory of them dying. Maybe it's like they're being erased from your head." The Faunus said.

"It's possible. We should probably list everyone in our army once we get back." The archer said.

"Will do." His brother replied.

"Now, back to the matter at hand." Zedong said. "Your proposition is not one that is easily accepted or rejected."

"We really need the help." Ike said. "It's obvious that if either we or you are going to survive we need to work together."

The man leaned back in his chair and began to think. "Are you seriously considering helping them?" Dakota asked. "We don't even know if they're telling the truth! For all we know they'll just get close to us and then try killing us for some stupid reason!"

"Maybe that is their plan." The man replied. "However, if what they say is the truth, we could finally live in peace here. But, you may be correct Dakota, this could just as well as be a trap we could fall into." His thought process was then cut off by someone bursting through the door.

"Sir, we have a kind of big issue at the gate." A Hunter said.

"And that issue is?" Zedong asked.

"Grimm have broken through." He said.

"I figured as much. Move anyone who can't fight into city hall and everyone who can fight should be." The man said calmly. The Hunter then turned and sprinted back out, closely followed by Dakota. "Well then, if you would excuse me I have a pressing matter to attend to."

"You mean we have a pressing matter to attend to." Blue said, drawing his bow.

"I couldn't ask you to help fight. This isn't your fight." He said.

"We're here aren't we?" James asked.

"Well, yes…" Zedong said.

"Then it is our fight." Rideat said.

The four fighters exited the building as the wounded poured in. Outside, hordes of Grimm were already in the city, with more still pouring in. "Well, this is more than I expected." Ike said.

"There's… a lot." Rideat said bluntly.

"Are you sure this is still your fight?" Zedong asked.

"Of course. We might be outnumbered, but we aren't outclassed." James said.

A Beowulf then became aware of the four and charged. Like most of the others, this Beowulf was old ad experienced in fighting as well as better adapted with more bone armor. The beast leaped at James, who readied his halberd to strike it. He swung his blade upward, only to hit nothing as the creature of Grimm dodged to the side and stood next to him. The Beowulf swung to slash the man, only to have its arm ripped off by a bullet. The beast howled in pain as a second bullet passed through its head, killing it. "These aren't easy kills." Dakota yelled out, as she shot into another Beowulf. "They're smarter, so watch out."

The four were then pounced upon by a second Beowulf. Ike blocked the stick of its paw and went onto the offensive. He quickly swung at the beast's leg, landing a hit. In a quick flurry, he landed a strike at the neck, a slash into its body, a slash on the other leg, and then stabbed into the beast's chest. Ike looked up at the Beowulf's only to receive a loud growl in his face. They were close enough that their noses almost touched. Ike quickly pulled his blade out and pivoted on his heel. He grabbed a fire arrow out of his quiver and threw it into the creature of Grimm as he completed his spin. This was followed by a powerful kick to the chest, sending the Grimm flying away as it was engulfed in flames by the arrow.

The trio then joined the fray. James led the charge as he encountered an Ursa. He spun and slashed into the beast with his halberd. The man then crouched down as Rideat ran up behind him. The Faunus jumped off his friend's shoulder and towards he beast. He slashed into its face, causing it to reel back. He then landed in a crotched position and shot fire dust into the Ursa's head from below it. The flames enraged the creature of Grimm, who smacked Rideat back. The blind teen flew backwards, slamming into James along the way. As the flying duo approached him, Ike dove over the two and rolled forward. He then began to shoot arrows into the beast. The Ursa charged at him, only to be frozen in place by an ice arrow shot into his foot, curtesy of Ike. Rideat rushed forward again with James close behind. The teen blocked one of the Ursa's paws as it tried swatting at them. James used this opening and decapitated the Ursa with a swing of his halberd.

The three then turned their attention to a King Taijitu. Ike attacked first by shooting an arrow at the beast's eye. The snake coiled its body in protection and absorbed the hit as if the arrow was nothing. The beast's black head then lunged forward at the teen, only to be blocked by James. The man caught the front of the fangs with his halberd and held the beast back. He then pushed the King Taijitu back and used the opening to spin his weapon and slam the axe head into the bottom of the snake's jaw. The white head then lunged forward at the older brother, who blocked the attack and skidded backwards. Before the snake could strike again, Ike and Rideat struck at the head, crossing each other creating an X. Rideat managed to land his hit on the beast's eye, damaging it.

The black head then shook its body, sending both teens into the center of its coiled body. The snake quickly attempted to constrict its body and squeeze the life out of the two. Ike quickly jumped out of the middle as Rideat pushed himself off the snake's body and escaped before the beast could constrict him. The Faunus then met the archer while in the air. The two pushed off each other's feet, sending the Faunus flying back down towards the snake. Rideat fired fire dust down at the black snake, doing little damage but covering his decent. The teen then broke through the ball of fire and stabbed into the beast. James then rejoined the fight by jumping on top of the black half of the snake along with Rideat and attacking with his halberd. Ike then returned to the ground and drew his bow. The white head then lunged at the two on the black half. The two on the snake jumped off to dodge.

Ike then notched a volatile lightning arrow and fired into the snake, completely paralyzing it for a few seconds. The three took advantage of this and attacked one eye each, blinding the King Taijitu completely. Dakota then decided to help the trio. She jumped over the black head, cartwheeling in the air, and unloaded her sniper into the beast. She landed on the snake's back, alerting it of her position. The black head lunged at her, only for the Huntress to dodge and cause the snake to bite itself. Dakota then loaded explosive ammo and fired into the blind white head. As the bullet passed into the head, it exploded, decapitating the snake and killing it. "Well then, moving on." Dakota said.

The trio then continued the fight alongside the Hunters of Achievement until the Grimm stopped pouring in. The fighting eventually stopped and the trio collapsed to the ground exhausted, beaten, battered, and bruised. Dakota soon joined them on the ground. "Well, you aren't the worst fighters, but you're far from the best." She said.

"Thanks." Ike said sarcastically.

"I do appreciate the help though. All of us do." She said. "Maybe you guys aren't as bad as I originally thought." There was silence as they all looked up at the sky. "It's amazing how calm the sky is. All hell is breaking loose down here and yet, the clouds are as peaceful as ever. It really makes you realize how detached the world is from everything around us."

Zedong then approached the four of them laying on the ground. He looked a little worse for ware, but still better off than most. "Well then, I believe you three have proven your loyalty today." He said. "Are you still willing to help us?"

"Of course." Ike replied.

"Very well then, what is our next course of action?" The man asked.

"Take time to get your wounded prepared to move, tally your death count, and pack. We'll move out as soon as we can and attempt to return to Beacon." The teen said.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll get all of the gears in motion. In the meantime, please make yourselves at home. I'm sure everyone here would appreciate some help though." The leader said.

"Ay ay captain." Rideat said as he saluted up into the air.

"Sounds like we're going to be working together." James said to Dakota with another wink.

"Do you seriously doubt that I'll hurt you?" She replied, earning a laugh from the older brother.

Ike's scroll then dinged with the sound of a message being received. "Who is it?" James asked.

"I'm not sure." Ike replied as he read the message.

'Dear boy,  
I'm impressed by not only your fighting, but also your courage to fight along those who were most likely doomed. Anyways, I have a proposition for you, seeing as you're in the business of finding new help. If you're interested there's a cliff not far from your position, maybe a few miles, that you should meet me at. There, we will duel. Neither of us will aim to kill, simply to defeat their opponent. If you win, I will join your cause, if I win, I wish to receive those arrows that are most likely filled with volatile dust. Meet me at the cliff at 3 p.m. two days from now if you accept my challenge. I'll be waiting. And please, come alone.'

There was no signature at the bottom, only the image of a white flower.

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**I really hope I wasn't too obvious with who the messenger is. Oh well, I do want to know if you guys would like to see more of Dakota. She's a character that I feel I could do something with but don't really need to write in a lot if people don't like her. If i do add her as a more important character, I'll probably make her more of a secondary character than anything. I will probably bring Zedong back every once and a while but mainly as a rarely seen character, meaning he won't have a major part in the story. Also, I usually have every other chapter revolve around Ike, but next weeks chapter will be another Ike one as well. I have a few ideas for Vesh's next chapter, but haven't really put anything together to the point where I'm comfortable with writing a chapter around him. Well, I think that is all I have to say for now, so don't forget to send me pms and leave reviews so I can talk to everyone and... I'll see you all in the next chapter! BYE :)**


	35. Chapter 11: Not Far from Home

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm good myself. I'm finally done with track and my school year is coming to an end, which means one thing. SUMMER! Well work and summer, but SUMMER! Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the chapter and I'll see you at the bottom :)**

* * *

"So, who was it?" James asked.

"Someone who wants to duel." Ike replied.

"Duel?" Rideat asked. "For what?"

"They said they wanted to test my strength. They saw me fight and wanted to test my fighting skills."

"Wait, out of everyone there, they saw you as special?" Dakota asked with a hint of jealousy.

"Ehh, don't worry about it. You're plenty strong, Ike's just strong for his age." James said to the girl.

"Still…" She said in a pouty way.

"So what are the stakes for this duel?" The older brother asked.

"They said that if I won, they would help us, but if I lost I would have to give up my volatile arrows." The younger brother asked.

"Well, I doubt they're strong enough to win, so let's go!" Rideat said confidently as he jumped back up to his feet.

"No let's, just me." The archer said.

"Why?" Rideat asked disappointed.

"I think they wanted me to go alone." Blue said, "Don't worry, I'm sure you won't be missing out on much."

"Wait wait wait wait wait." Dakota said, sitting up. "How far away is this place they wanted to meet you at?"

"A few miles. It's at some cliff around here." The teen replied.

"Doesn't that seem like a bad idea?" The woman asked.

"She has a point, you'd been too far away for us to help." James added.

"I'm sure I can handle myself, plus we aren't even fighting to the death." Ike said.

"Ike, how can you be that naïve?" The sniper asked. "This could easily be a trap. You could show up and this person, would just try to kill you or have an ambush waiting for you." She pointed out.

"But no person will hurt me in here. James said that, right?" Ike said.

"That's true, people won't kill others. However, what if a person didn't send the message." James said.

"Who would then? The Grimm?" Rideat asked in a mocking tone.

"No, Vesh. What if he messaged you and had a trap waiting for you. If you die, then we don't have a cause to fight for anymore." The older brother said.

"Wait, who's Vesh?" Dakota asked.

"He's an evil version of me and the thing that controls the Grimm in here. He was created when James died in the real world and my brain split off the rage inside me as a…" Blue was cut off by Dakota collapsing her sniper into a large knife. She then slammed the teen against a wall, with her blade to his throat.

"You mean you're the reason why the Grimm are here? Because you couldn't handle someone dying?"

"No, you mis…" Ike said trying to defend himself, only to fail.

"IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT I'VE HAD TO SEE MY FRIENDS BE SLAUGHTER?!" There was only silence, except for the sound of Rideat getting ready to shoot ice dust at the woman. "ANSWER ME!" She yelled.

"No! I'm not the reason people have died. Vesh is." Ike said.

James then placed a hand on her shoulder. "Dakota, let him go. He isn't the enemy here."

The sniper shrugged his hand off her shoulder and dropped Ike. She then began to walking away. "I'll be in the City Hall if you need me. Just try to make yourselves useful."

"Well then." Rideat said.

"So, what do you think about the whole message thing?" Ike asked.

"I think it's a bad idea to accept the challenge. You'll only get one soldier out of winning anyways and there's too much of a risk to go." James said.

"I have a gut feeling they aren't lying though." The archer said.

"That's not a whole lot to go on. I really don't want you going, Ike" James said. "It's a bad idea and I will try to stop you of you do go."

"I'm with James. It's a trap and I'm not letting you fall into it." The Faunus said.

"Fine, I won't go." Ike said. "Happy?"

"Yes." The older brother said. "We're just looking out for your own safety. Now, I'm going to see if I can't try to explain everything to Dakota." He then turned towards City Hall and began to walk away.

"Should we help with the injured?" Rideat asked.

"You go ahead." Ike said. "I'm kinda tired right now."

"Alright then! See ya." The blind teen then walked away.

The clock said 1:30 p.m. as Ike grabbed his bow and his volatile arrows. He then walked outside and into an alley and hopped up onto a roof. He began to jump from roof to roof, watching the people on the ground to make sure nobody saw him. As he jumped onto the roof of a house and slid down the other side, he was stopped by a voice. "Going somewhere?" Dakota asked.

"You know, I was doing really well at sneaking out." Ike replied as he looked to his side to see the woman sitting on the edge of the roof.

"Ya, well too bad you're just like every other teenager." She replied.

"Stupid?" He asked.

"Bad at sneaking out." She replied. "Have you never seen a teenage movie where someone sneaks out of the house to go to a party or something?" Ike simply shook his head no. "Well, you've never lived then. Anyways, the teenager always tries sneaking back into their house and just as they're about to reach the safety of their room, their parent flips on the light."

"Well, I guess you just flipped the light on me." He said as he sat down.

"Sure did. Have you seriously never snuck out of the house?" She asked.

"Nope. My family didn't have many rules." The teen said, talking about his family back in his hitman days.

"Wow, lucky kid."

"Ehh, I won't say I'm the luckiest person."

"Well, let me share a story from when I was your age. I used to go out with this one guy, don't really remember his name, but that's not important. Anyways, this guy climbed into the window of my room and I pulled him in, then… well… one thing led to another."

"Just go ahead and skip that hour, I don't really need or want to hear in."

Dakota laughed at this. "Please, you're giving him a lot of credit with an hour. Anyways, as I was sneaking him out my window, my dad opened up the door."

"What'd ya do?" Ike asked.

"Seeing as I was the only thing holding the guy up, I dropped him."

"How far of a fall was it?" The archer asked.

"Only about fifteen feet." She replied.

"So did you get caught?"

"Ya, the sound of someone falling into my bushes isn't the quietest thing in the world."

After a long pause, Ike asked, "So are you gonna tell James I'm leaving?" The teen asked.

"Nah." Dakota replied.

"Why not? Don't you kinda hate me right now?" Blue asked.

"Here's the thing, I'm going to let you go out there and see what happens. If you live, good for you and if you die, then I won't remember you and it'll be interesting to see what happens with you gone. Just know that your being stupid for going."

"Gee, thanks for your concern for my safety."

"Anytime kid. Now you should probably get going to make your date with whoever." Dakota said.

"You're right." Mers said as he stood up. "Thanks for not telling anyone what I'm doing."

"Don't mention it. Now hurry on and have fun in the woods." Ike then jumped off the roof and continued towards the cliff. "Hope you don't die kid. I think James would be pretty bummed out if you did."

"Oh Ike, the medical station wants you!" James called out as he opened the door to their house. "Ike?" He asked. He then looked around the house for him, but couldn't anywhere. That's when he noticed that there was only two ID cards where they were usually stored. Ike's was missing. "Shit!" James yelled before grabbing his weapon and sprinting out the door.

"There's a cliff a few miles away." Ike said in a mocking tone. "Gee, those are perfect directions I know exactly where I'm going. Idiot." The teen said insulting himself. After walking in one direction for a while, Ike realized that he had no clue where he was going and to say he was happy would be a lie and a big one at that. Falling out of a tree didn't help either.

The teen opened his scroll and sent the same message to the challenger for the third time. "Could you give me more specific direction?" He said as he typed it out and hit send. "Third time's the charm, right?" He said to himself. "There's no way they're going to respond." He said to himself. "Maybe I should stop talking to myself. But then who else am I going to talk to? I could just be quiet. But the quiet is so earie." His train of thought was then cut off as he saw slash marks on a tree in front of him. "Well that's not natural."

The teen approached the tree and studied the marks. "They look like a Beowolf made them. And they aren't too old either. Hey, maybe Professor Port did teach me something."

-Back to the Real World-

All Vesh could here out of the mustached man' mouth was, "Blah, blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah." The teen then slammed his head on the desk and groaned.

-Back to Ike-

"I really don't miss those classes." Blue said to himself. He then saw similar marks on a tree a few feet away from him. Following that one was a tree with marks made from a manmade weapon. "A fight huh? Maybe my challenger had a bit of difficulty getting to the cliff." The teen began to follow the marks, which led him further and further into the forest. Along the way, the signs of conflict became more and more apparent. Trees were uprooted, snapped in half, or completely cut by some kind of blade. Branches from the trees lay on the ground as the trail carried onwards and definite footprints were stuck into the ground ever so often. Ike's suspicion of Beowolves were proven correct by the footprint and a feet boot shaped ones were apparent as well. After stumbling upon the first human footprint, Ike deduced that the foot either belonged to a small man or a regular sized woman.

However, the clues soon ended abruptly in an area that was formerly wooded, but now only had stumps and the remains of trees. The archer then looked up at one of the trees. "Well, maybe I've gotten closer." He thought. The teen then propelled himself upwards and caught one of the higher up branches. He spun around it a few time, before landing on it and looking out. Sure enough, he could see a steep drop from where he was. "Looks like I didn't need directions after all." He said with a smile, before scaling down the tree. He made it three fourths of the way down before falling this time.

The teen approached the cliff side, but stayed in the cover of the woods. As he reached a spot where he could see the edge, a white cloaked figure stood on the edge of the rounded cliff. Being weary of a trap, as everyone warned him to be, Ike focused his aura into his eyes and scanned the area. The cloaked person appeared blue. "Good, they're friendly." He said. HE then began to scan the area around the cliff.

His concentration was then broken. "There's no one else here." The cloaked woman said. "Just come out and stop wasting both of our time. It's already 3."

Ike stepped out from his position and said, "Nice to see you're observant."

"Nice to see I'm not the only one who can use their aura properly." She replied without turning around. "Although if you learn to use it better, you can see much further with it."

"How long have you known I've been coming?" Ike asked as he walked up next to her. The top of her head came up to about his nose.

"Remember when you fell out of that tree?"

"Which time?"

"The first time." She replied.

"Wow, that was a while ago."

"Yes, it was. It wasn't very far though. You took your time getting here."

"Your directions weren't the best." The archer replied.

"I had faith you'd get here." The woman turned her head slightly to look at him out of the corner of her eye, but didn't allow the teen to see her face. "It looks like my faith was well placed."

After a brief pause, Ike asked, "So why'd you challenge me?"

"There's something special about you. The only way to truly know a person is though fighting them, so I wanted to learn something about you."

"Couldn't you've just asked me some questions?"

"That wouldn't suffice. I wouldn't know if you're worth my time."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to see if I am." The archer replied smugly. "One question though, who are you?"

"I'd prefer to keep that secret. I don't know how you'll react if you lose and I'd like to not be hunted down by a teenager who just lost some of his most powerful weapons."

"I know that feeling all too well."

"Are you ready?" The woman asked as the wind picked up.

"About as ready as I'm going to be." He replied.

"Good. Then take fifteen steps away from me and we can begin." The teen turned around and did as he was told. He changed his weapon to its bow form and began counting the arrows in his quiver.

"13, 14, 15." He said to himself. Blue then turned around, let out a long breath and said, "I'm ready."

"Then let's begin." The woman replied as she turned around. She keep her head down, allowing the cloak to keep her identity hidden. She then reached behind her and unfolded a piece of white metal. Her weapon only took a second to spring to life, revealing itself to be a giant white scythe with black accents. She spun the weapon a few times before sticking it into the ground.

"A scythe huh? Good thing I've had experience against scythes." Blue said.

"Don't be so smug, it's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle." She replied. Ike was then stunned. He had heard that said somewhere before, but couldn't remember who had said it. "Let's me make it simpler. It's also a gun."

"I know that." The teen said. "Now, let's begin." Ike was more anxious to see who this mystery woman was than actually fighting.

The woman propelled herself forward to start the match. She then spun and wrapped the blade around Ike's back. Before she could do anything else, the teen launched himself out of the way of the scythe as soon as the woman fired again, and brought the weapon back to her as she moved backwards. "That's almost an exact copy of Ruby's fighting style." He thought.

Ike then launched arrows at the woman, who spun her weapon, deflecting the arrows. She then changed her weapon into a form that Ike recognized. It was a mirrored form of Crescent Rose when in its sniper form. "That seems oddly familiar" Ike said.

"These scythes run in my family. I wouldn't be surprised if you've seen one like it." The woman in white said. She then fired at the teen, who switched to Ichor and Nero. He began to slice the bullets out of the air and landed, rolling upon impact. However, as he rolled her felt three bullets collide into his back, which were deflected by his aura but lowered his aura by quite a bit. Ike rolled back up to his feet and slashed at the woman, who seemed to disappear. He heard something above him and looked up. The woman was spinning in the air, the cloak now off of her head. The woman replied. Before Ike could get a good look at her, she fired another bullet down at him, which he rolled away from. However, he did notice that she had silver eyes. The woman then switched to her scythe once again and fired into the air, sending her flying down at the teen.

Ike jumped back once more just in time to avoid being hit. "Runs in the family, huh?" Ike asked as he popped back up to his feet and charged in once more.

"Yes, I wouldn't be surprised if one of my daughters started using one as well." The woman said. As she blocked then attacks. She then fired at the ground, launching her backwards and into a backflip, which she landed gracefully and away from the teen.

The two opponents began to circle each other slowly. Ike was panting due to exhaustion, however the woman seemed to be fine. "Everything seems to match up." He thought. "But I have to be sure."

"Any siblings?" Ike asked.

"Just one. I have my brother. Yet again, another scythe wielder."

"And what's he do?" The archer asked.

"Became a teacher. Thought it would be a good idea to teach the next generation how to defend themselves."

The hooded woman then fired backwards, launching herself at the teen. The woman moved at break neck speeds as she twirled and sashed at the teen. Ike had nowhere to run to and was cornered in the middle of an open area by a single person. "She has to be a Huntress." Ike though.

Ike eventually predicted where his opponent would be and kicked in that direction. His foot connected with the woman's body, sending her skidding backwards. "Finally got a hit." She said.

"Finally." Ike scoffed. "Where'd you learn to fight?" Blue asked.

"Beacon. Attended there with my brother." She replied. "You?"

"Street fighting and a little of schooling at Beacon." Ike replied. The two then rushed towards each other once again.

"It shows." The hooded woman said as she swept Ike's feet from under him with her scythe. She then aimed the sniper barrel down at the teen. "Your movements are sloppy."

"And yours are erratic." The archer said as he rolled backwards and tried swinging at the woman who had already disappeared.

"But not predictable like you." The woman in white said from behind him.

Ike spun around to slash at her, only to see her passing by him already. The woman then glided passed him as he looked over at her. As if in slow motion, he saw her face for the first time, and it looked like Ruby's. "Summer?" He asked.

The woman's eyes grew with panic, before narrowing with malice. She spun and slammed her scythe into the teen, sending him flying backwards. He stood back up and dodged to the side as she fired a round at him. "Stop!" He pleaded.

The woman did, but before Ike could say anything, James interfered. The older brother appeared from nowhere and roared as he flew through the air, ready to slam his halberd into the woman. She elegantly spun and twisted her scythe around her. She then spun the weapon behind the older brother and fired, lowering his aura levels by massive amounts and drawing him right in front of her. "An ambush huh? And I thought there were decent people left in the world." She then spun her weapon once again, connecting a blunt edge to James's chin and sending him flying. She then fired behind her and launched herself behind the younger brother. Before Ike could turn around, the woman had already planted the tip of her scythe into the ground and spun around it. She then slammed her feet into the archer's side, putting him next to his brother. Ike then looked up at the woman, who had her scythe planted in the ground with her laying on top of it, her finger resting on the trigger.

"Now, why shouldn't I pull this trigger and end this little fight right now. After all, you did fail to ambush me." She said with a hint of kindness which only masked anger. Ike could now easily tell the similarities between the woman and Ruby. There was no doubt in his mind, that this was Summer Rose.

"Why'd you come?" Ike whispered to his brother.

"Why'd YOU leave?" James whispered back.

"To fight her!" The younger of the two said continuing the whisper fight.

"And accomplish what?"

"Getting her to join us."

"Please, you can fight but she's better than you. You were just going to lose your arrows."

"Well if you hadn't shown up then I wouldn't be fearing for my life right now."

"As much as I love to hear you two argue, I would like an answer." The woman said, her finger now pressing in the trigger.

"Just let me talk." Ike said. "If you would just let me explain myself, I'm sure this can be solved without death."

The woman rolled off of her weapon and grabbed it, adding a twirl in for good measure before sticking it back into the ground with the barrel pointing at Ike. "How do you know my name?" She asked.

"So your name is Summer, as in Summer Rose?" He said.

"Yes." She replied with a confused tone.

"Well then, I know your daughter." Summer didn't seem too happy with this answer, because she quickly wrapped the blade of the scythe behind Ike's neck, resting the weapon on his shoulders.

"How. Do. You. Know. Ruby?" She asked.

"I know her in the real world. You see, right now we're in my head, but my body is being controlled by someone else. That's why we're hunting the Grimm, because if we can exterminate the other person's presence in my head, I can regain control of my body." Ike said quickly.

"How old is she?" Summer asked.

"Fifteen. Yang's seventeen now. They're both at Beacon academy trying to follow in your footsteps." The archer replied. Seeing that Ike wasn't lying, the Huntress folded her weapon and returned it to its holder on her back.

"Of course they are. It's nice to see them fighting for what's right, but I wish they didn't choose such dangerous jobs. Then again, I'm sure they think the same thing. So how do you know Ruby and Yang?"

"Well, I'm Ruby's boyfriend. Nice to meet you." He said extending a hand. "I'm Ike Mers. That would be my brother James."

"Figures this would be how I'd meet my daughter's boyfriend." She said shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you both. Tell me, did either of them start using a scythe?"

"Ruby does now. She named it Crescent Rose. Yang uses shotgun gauntlets."

"Figures, Yang always was a feisty one. It doesn't surprise me she took after her father. Now, I did win the duel, so…" She said.

"I suppose your right." Ike said as he retrieved the volatile arrows and handed them over. "Just be careful with them."

"Don't worry, I will. Now, I have other business to attend to so I'll be leaving now." Summer then pulled her cloak back over her head and began to walk away.

"Wait, you aren't going to help us?" James asked.

"Don't you worry, I'll meet up with you later." She said. "Just worry about getting the Hunters back to Vale without killing them." She then disappeared into the woods.

"So then, what's it like meeting your girlfriend's mom? Nice lady, huh?" James said.

"That's one woman I don't want to piss off." Ike replied.

"I don't blame you." The two brothers then began to walk back towards Achievement.

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**So I think I was too obvious that the mystery person was Summer last chapter but oh. Kudos to anyone who figured out who it was. Anyways, there's no real big announcements in the story, except that we finally have a beta reader. So big thanks, and shout out, to OmnimonAllDelete for his help and his help in the future. There's nothing else really to say, so don't forget to leave a review and send a pm and I'll see everyone next chapter! Bye :)**


	36. Chapter 12: Regression

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm fine, thank you. While there's nothing new in my life, I do have an announcement. In the next week or two, I will be starting my first completely original story over on FictionPress. Without giving too much away, it'll be a science fiction story taking place in the future a long time from now, where the planet is almost entirely desert. If you want to check it out, go ahead and follow me over on FictionPress. I will be writing under the same name, MrSparky6277. I hope to see you all over there and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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"As I wrestled the fearsome beast down to the ground, it roared in anger!" Port said to his class that consisted of a classroom full of bored students, except for that one kid who was paying attention for some reason.

Ruby snored loudly and woke herself up with a startle and quickly looked around. She then realized where she was and rested her head on Vesh's shoulder. "I would just love to kindly and forcefully remove your head from my shoulder." He thought.

"How much longer till we're out of here?" Ruby wined.

"Ten minutes." Vesh replied looking at the clock.

"Ugh." The girl said as she dropped her head onto the pile of books in front of her.

"Thank Monty." The evil teen thought. "Maybe Port's story isn't so bad this time." He thought as he began to listen again.

"The mighty beast roared as I picked it up and threw it again a tree." The professor said as he continued to ramble on.

"Or maybe it is." The archer thought, as he propped his head up with his hand. Soon, he was beginning to drift asleep. Well, that is until someone hit his arm, causing his head to slam into his desk. The sound echoed through the room and interrupted Port.

"Ahem." Peter said. "As I was saying…"

Vesh then looked around him to see that his "friends" had nothing but annoyed looks on their faces. He turned around to see Cardin and his goons silently laughing. Vesh then looked at his desk to see that Cardin had thrown a book into his arm, knocking his arm down. Annoyed beyond belief, the teen's face twisted into a sick smile as he looked back up at team CRDL. The four students simply continued to laugh.

"Don't worry about them." Ruby said.

"Oh, don't worry, I won't pay them any mind." He replied.

Jaune then threw a piece of paper at Blue. He opened it open to see the words, "Want me to say something?" on it.

Vesh wrote back on it. "Don't worry, I can handle them." He then tossed the paper back to the blonde. Jaune held up the okay sign and returned to his usual bored self.

The bell eventually rang and the class began to clear out. "Coming, Ike?" Ruby asked as her boyfriend hung back.

"Don't worry, I'll meet you at lunch." He replied.

"Alright." The girl replied. She gave her "boyfriend" a quick kiss before exiting the class. Team CRDL then tried to slip past without being notice, but failed to do so.

"Hey Cardin." The evil teen said as he wrapped an arm around the team leader and walked beside him. "You guys are just the people I was looking for." He said in a creepily happy tone.

"We were?" Dove asked, confused.

"Sure were. I just wanted to tell you how funny I thought you hitting me with that book was."

"Oh, ya. Pretty good throw, huh?" Cardin replied with his usual cocky self. "Now, if you'll just run along and…" Vesh then interrupted him

"It really was. So good that I thought we should celebrate." It was at this point that CRDL picked up on the passive aggressiveness in Vesh.

"How were we going to celebrate?" Russel asked.

"Oh, I have a surprise." The evil teen said.

"I'm not one for surprises." Dove said as he backed up.

"Me either." Sky said as well, backing up next to his teammate.

"I forgot, I have a meeting with Ozpin soon, so I'll have to catch up." Russel said.

"And I should really get to lunch." Winchester said as he tried to escape.

"Nah!" Mers said as he pulled Cardin in closer. "You don't have to go to lunch right away. I have a special surprise, and if they don't want to join, I guess that just means more for you and me."

"Yay." Cardin said tried and failing to sound happy.

"HELP!" Cardin yelled from his position. He was currently being dangled outside his window being held up by Vesh, with one arm none the less.

"Now, how do I keep you up here?" Vesh thought out loud.

"KEEP ME UP!?"

"That's what I said, now shut up a little bit while I think here. What about if I use a rope?"

"No no no no no." The teen outside the window asked.

"I could just drop you."

"You wouldn't."

"I wouldn't?" Vesh said mockingly. He then dropped the teen quickly, before catching him with his other arm. He earned a short scream from Cardin in the process. "Aww, how cute. You scream like a girl when you're about to fall."

"I'm not the biggest fan of heights."

"You aren't? Well, you learn something new every day, but you know what they say, right?"

"What?" The scared bully asked.

"The best way to overcome a fear is facing it. I'm just helping you face a fear right now. Wait, I have an idea! Hang on real quick." He then tossed Cardin up into the air. As Cardin was in the air, Vesh quickly grabbed a pole from the room he was in. As he walked back to the window, he enjoyed the sound of Cardin's screaming. Just as Cardin passed the window, Vesh stuck the pole out the window and put the pole under Cardin's breastplate, catching him. "Hey, look what I caught. It's the biggest idiot I've ever seen."

"Very funny, now can you pull me in?" Cardin said aggressively.

"Nah, I have a better idea." Vesh then slammed the pole into the wall of the building. "I made a new flag!" The archer said proudly.

"Just let me back in!"

"Nah, I think I'll just leave you up there until one of your teammates finds you. Oh, and if you tell anyone I did this, I'll make sure next time is much worse." Vesh then began walking away. "Have fun Cardin!" Vesh called out as he turned the corner in the hall. Cardin continued to call for help as Vesh walked away. "Ahh, nothing like the sweet sound of panic." He said.

**-During Lunch-**

The teen sat, eating his cheese burger at lunch, when Pyrrha brought up the news. "Apparently, someone hung Cardin out a window by a pole."

"They called him a human flag." Yang said, laughing harder than she ever had. Vesh smiled as he remembering his work.

"Serves him right." Blake said with a hint of anger.

"Well, this is about the time Nora and Ren show up, with Nora telling one of her stories." Pyrrha said as she stabbed into her salad.

On cue, the bubbly pink haired girl and her stoic best friend sat down at the table. "Do I have a story for you guys!" Nora said happily as she sucked down a pancake.

"Do you only ever eat pancakes?" Weiss asked.

"So there Ren and I were, in the middle of an ocean." The girl started.

"Take that as a yes." Vesh said, answering Weiss.

The teen's scroll then rang out as the girl told her story, signaling he had a new message. The message read, "I heard you're the person to talk to to get a job done right."

Vesh thought back to Ike's days of less than legal activities and decided that a little money might be nice. "Depends on how much you're offering to pay."

"Meet me at this address in two hours and we'll discuss your pay. 2453 Torchwood Ave.. See you then."

"Well, looks like I won't be attending my afternoon classes." He thought.

"I have to head into Vale, I probably won't be back for a while." The archer said standing up.

"What about your classes?" Jaune asked.

"I'll be missing Oobleck's lecture and some target practice from Professor Burns. Who cares?"

"WHO CARES!?" Weiss said with a mix of anger and shock. "These are your classes! The classes that will make you a great Hunter!"

"Yes, because learning about why the Faunus beat the crap out of the Humans during the war is going to matter when an Ursa is trying to cut me and half." Blue said sarcastically.

"What about Professor Burns's class?" Pyrrha asked.

"Please, he's just going to shoot bullets around my head for an hour like he always does." Vesh replied.

"It's true, Ike had to act as a hostage for an entire class, while students shot at his kidnapper." Ruby added.

"I got hit four times!" Vesh said angrily.

"I already apologized for that!" Ruby whined.

"Didn't take away the pain from your sniper bullets." Vesh retorted, before he kissed the girl's head. "Just tell the professors I got food poisoning." He said as he walked away from the group and out of the cafeteria.

"Isn't Oobleck a doctor?" Nora asked the others at the table.

"Don't remind us." Jaune replied boredly.

**-In Vale-**

Vesh turned down the road and reached Torchwood Avenue. "2450, 2451, 2452, 2453. Here we are." Vesh said to himself as he stood in front of a broken down bar. The windows had been smashed, the door looked newly rehung judging by the cracks on the frame, and there appeared to be a bit of fire damage. "Hello?" The evil teen called out as he walked in. The inside of the bar looked even worse than the outside. The entire place was ransacked. "Anyone coming or did I just waste my time coming to this hell hole?!" Vesh asked angrily

"No, no I'm here." A middle aged man said as he walked down the stairs. As he descended, a jaguar's tail showed itself, identifying the man as a Faunus. "And you know, this place wasn't always a hell hole."

"Well, it is now." Vesh replied.

"You can thank those racists for that." The man then extended his hand out. "You can just call me Jay."

"Real name?"

"Of course not."

"Well then, call me India."

"Code name, I'm guessing?" Jay said as he sat down at the bar.

"You're good at guessing." Vesh replied as he sat next to him. "So, why'd you contact me?"

"I have a job for you."

"Obviously."

"You see this trashed bar around us?" Jay said.

"Kinda hard to miss." Vesh replied as he looked around. He did notice something quite peculiar though. There was a White Fang mask hiding on one of the shelves of the bar. It was obviously put there to attempt to be hidden, as it was placed behind a few picture frames, but it was a bad hiding place at best.

"Well you see, a few racists broke in here and began attacking. I'm fortunate to still be alive right now."

"So what's the job?" Blue asked starting to get impatient.

"I want you to eliminate this group of bandits."

"As in eliminate, you mean…"

"I want you to kill them." Jay replied.

"Wow, a bit harsh." The archer replied boredly. "I do have a question for you though."

"And that is?"

"Why are you lying to me?" Blue asked as he stared right at the man.

"I'm not."

"Oh really? That White Fang mask says otherwise. By the way, it wasn't that well hidden. So why don't you tell me what you really want me to do, or I can just call the police right now."

"You're quite the observant one. Yes, your right, you won't just be taking down a group of thugs. You'll be attacking the Schnees."

"That's a big target."

"It can be a big pay check."

"How big?"

"How's 20,000 lien sound?"

"Make it 25,000 and we have a deal."

"Sounds fair enough." Jay said, typing out a message to someone.

"So, what am I doing?"

"Just take this ear piece and listen to directions." Jay said, giving the teen the piece of equipment.

"Where am I attacking?" Vesh asked as he put in the ear piece.

"Dock 13. There's a Schnee dust company executive that we've been trying to kill for years and he'll be there to oversee a shipment, so take some dust as a party favor if you want to."

"Sounds fun." Vesh said as he stood up.

"Oh, and one more thing." The Faunus said. Vesh turned around just in time to catch the White Fang's uniform, complete with the mask. "You need something to disguise yourself. Change into those before you get there and make sure you keep the mask on. The Schnees are ruthless."

"I know that all too well." The archer said to himself as he walked out the door.

**-Dock 13-**

"Can you hear me?" A man asked through the headset in Vesh's ear.

"Yes." He replied. He was currently hiding in one of the shipping crates in the dock. The teen was wearing the uniform provided for him and had a bag on his back, in case he decided to take some dust with him.

"Good, I've got a good view of the dock from up on the roof with my sniper rifle, so I'll be directing you. Just do as I say and you'll be fine. Understood?"

"Understood."

"Perfect, I think we'll get along just fine. Now, the Schnee executive is in the building in the south side of the dock. That's why you've been hired. I can't get a shot on anyone inside and I can't see inside, so you'll be on your own in there. Outside, be quiet and don't raise any attention. On the inside, do what you want, but it'll be easier if you do everything silently."

"Got it, now what am I doing?" Vesh asked, ready to get started.

"When I tell you to, I want you to open the door to the crate and walk out. As soon as you do, close the door and stay there." After a few seconds, the man then said, "Go, now." The evil teen silently opened the door and walked out into the night. The only light came from the full moon and the few street lights lining the utility roads of the docks. "Alright, there's a guard on the right side of the crate, take him out."

The archer pulled out his bow, notched an arrow and looked around the corner. The guard was facing away from him, walking back and forth. The teen then drew back the arrow, and fired into the back of the man's neck, killing him. "Good kill. Now move forward to where the guy was."

Vesh moved forward to where he was ordered to. "Good, now there will be three guards ahead of you. I'll be able to take out the one looking at you, it's up to you to take the other two out."

"Alright, go on my mark." Vesh replied. He then moved through the shadows, until he was close enough to the two men. The archer then switched to his duel blades and prepared himself. "Fire" He ordered.

The shot was silent in the night as it collided with the guard's head, killing him. Before the other two could react, Vesh had snuck behind then and quietly stabbed through both of them, killing them as well. "You're doing good kid. Now hide those bodies. It'll be easy to find them if they're in the middle of the road."

Blue quickly began moving the corpses into the shadows. As he drug the last body over, he heard a voice ring out in the night. "Freeze!" a man said. Vesh turned around to see a guard with his rifle trained on him. "Drop the body and put your hands up!" The guard ordered.

Vesh did as he was told, but the second he put up his hands, a bullet passed through the man's head. "Hide him too." Vesh's helper said.

"Will do."

The teen hid the bodies and immediately got new orders. "There's a patrol coming your way. Climb onto the shipping crates and hide there. If they see the bodies, tell me and we'll take them out."

"Got it." Vesh replied. He then jumped up on top of one of the crates and jumped onto one of the crates stacked onto an adjacent crate. As he stood on top of it, he noticed there was an open crate next to him. The evil teen walked inside of it and discovered that it was filled with dust. Blue smiled just before he began to stuff the bag full of dust.

"Okay kid, the patrol passed, time for you to stop stealing and get back to work." The sniper said.

"Fine." Vesh replied. "Couldn't fit anymore in anyways." He said to himself.

"Alright, you're nearly there. Just turn right and move quickly to avoid the patrol. You should hit the building." Vesh did as he was told and hid at the corner of the building. "Good, now do you see the window above you?"

"Yes."

"Jump up there and the rest is up to you. Good luck."

Blue crouched down and sprang into the air, barely grabbing the edge of the window at the peak of his jump. He then pulled himself up into the window and stayed there for a second to observe his surroundings. Directly below him was the second floor catwalk. The bottom floor was covered by wooden boxes and people moving them. "I don't think I'll have to worry about them." Vesh thought. A steel catwalk wrapped around the edges of the building and ran through the middle. There were boxes on it that would provide cover for him. Luckily, the building wasn't perfectly square, so the corners of the building could also provide cover. There were a few offices on the sides, one of which the target was in.

"Alright, time to go." Vesh thought as he dropped in. He landed behind one of the crates, so he was hidden from view.

He waited for the guard to pass by him, before he slipped behind one of the corners of the building. As the guard approached once again, Vesh stabbed into the man. He then saw a man turning towards him. The teen quickly threw an arrow at the man, stabbing into the man's throat. Blue then pulled the man he was still holding around the corner and finished him off. "Better hurry." He thought. The teen then began to hop from cover to cover, until he reached one of the offices.

It had the name, "Mr. Wit." On the door.

"What's the name of the target?" Vesh asked the sniper.

"Wit. You find his office?"

"Sure did." The archer replied, as he pushed open the door.

"Good, finish this quick and get out."

The archer walked into the office and was greeted by a man working at his desk. "Jade, would you kindly… You aren't Jade." The man said, before his expression changed to one of horror. "Who are you?"

"I'm just a hitman. You're just unluckily the target." Vesh replied.

"Who sent you here?"

"The White Fang. Now, I need to get out of here quick, so it's time to end our little chat." The teen then quickly notched an arrow and fired into the man. Wit stumbled backwards and clutched his chest where the arrow had struck him. He then reached under his desk and pressed something, before falling. An alarm then blared throughout the building as footsteps could be heard outside the room. "Son of a bitch!" Vesh cursed before looking for an exit. The only one he could find was the window. And he used it.

The teen crashed through the window, and rolled upon impact. He then looked up to see guards staring down at him and yelling, before running away from the broken window.

"Of course we can't do this without incident." The sniper said. "You better start running kid."

Vesh began to sprint, weaving his way through the shipping crates as the sound of bullets hitting metal surrounded him. He dove over the head of a guard and stabbed an explosive arrow into the man's chest as he flew over him. Vesh then listened to the sound of the man panicking, before an explosion rang through the night. "Any ideas?" The teen asked the man, as soon as a spotlight shined down on him.

"Ya, I have one." The sniper replied before shooting out the light. "Turn right, I'm calling in reinforcements."

The teen turned the corner at the next shipping crate to find a group of five guards. "Really?" The teen asked.

The men then turned and aimed at him. "Freeze!" One of them ordered.

"Not gonna happen." Vesh replied before he began running at them. A hail of bullets passed by him as he jumped at one of the shipping crates. He then jumped off the side to the crate, launching himself at one of the guards. He grabbed the man, and used him as a shield from the bullets. He then tossed his human shield at the guard shooting at him, only for the man to dodge the human projectile. Vesh quickly punched the man in the chest, and knocked the gun out of his hand. Vesh grabbed the gun out of the air and sprayed bullets into the guard who owned the rifle, before kicking the disarmed man into another guard, smashing both of them against a crate.

With the two remaining guards firing at him, Blue quickly fired a fire arrow into the ground in between them. The blaze provided cover for the teen, who ran through the fire and landed a punch to one of the men's stomach. As the man doubled over, Vesh delivered a heel drop to the back of his head, sending him into the ground with enough force to cause him to bounce back up. Vesh then kicked the guard into the other one, sending them both sliding across the ground. "Well, you're little bonfire was enough of a signal for our pilot. Just sit tight for a second or two." The sniper said.

More guards then lined up in front of the teen and formed a firing line. "Tell your pilot to hurry up." Vesh said.

"He's working on it."

"Attention asshole!" One of the guards called out. "Drop your weapons now and you won't be shot to death… Tonight at least."

"Okay, time to end this." The sniper said, before firing a round into the man's head.

"Why would you…" The evil teen began to say, before the sound of a bullhead roaring overhead was heard and a hail of bullets erupted from the gun on the front.

"Jump onto it." The sniper said as he shot another round. Vesh quickly launched himself upwards, and grabbed onto the edge of the bullhead. An arm reached down and pulled the teen in.

"Let's go." The White Fang member who pulled him in said to the pilot, before the bullhead fled from the area. "Good job kid, you earned your pay check."

"Thanks."

**-At Beacon-**

Blue was walking over towards his class with professor Burns, when two familiar, but not welcome, faces walked up to him. "Hey, Ike." Emerald said happily.

"What's up?" Mercury asked as he wrapped an arm around the evil teen.

"What do you two want?" Vesh asked.

"Straight to the point, I like it." The girl said. "Here's the thing, we just want to make sure you don't squeal to the police about our little prom night raid, so we got a little incentive for you."

"Don't tell anyone and we won't show this." Mercury said, as he opened up his scroll and began playing a video of Vesh turning Cardin into a human flag.

"That's it? That'll get me detention at best. You still have nothing on me." The archer replied, as he brushed Mercury's arm off his shoulder.

"What about this one?" Mercury asked and he began playing security camera footage of Vesh's attack the night before. "Don't know about you, but I doubt that little white haired girl will be too pleased to see this."

"I don't think the police will look kindly on it either." The green haired girl added. "You should actually be happy we found this before the cops did."

"Please, you don't even know that's me." Blue retorted.

"Look at the weapons." The grey haired boy replied bluntly. "I don't think anyone uses weapons like that."

"So, do we have a deal? You be quiet about our illegal activities, you be quiet about ours?" Emerald asked.

"I suppose I don't have a choice. Deal." The archer replied.

"Perfect. You have a nice rest of your day." The grey haired teen said as the pair walked away.

As Vesh walked towards his class, he could only wonder one thing. "What did they do that they had to blackmail me? Probably something Ike knows."

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**Yay, blackmail! For once, I don't have anything story wise to write down here, so I'll just wrap up this chapter. Don't forget to go over to FictionPress and await my new story's debut. Anyways, leave me a review and send me a pm if you feel like talking to me, because I always love talking to my readers. I'll see you in the next chapter. BYE!**


	37. Chapter 13: Heading Home

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? Sorry this chapter took so long to get out, but I've had a busy week and haven't been able to be around when I wanted to post this chapter. Anyways, I found out today that I have to have surgery for my wisdom teeth. My first surgery will be October 22nd and will take out my bottom two, and the second one will be over spring break to remove my top two. The dentist won't touch them, because my bottom two have roots and are close to nerves in my jaw, while my top two are close to my sinuses. So without further stalling, enjoy the chapter!**

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"My feet hurttttttttt." Rideat complained.

"Yes Rideat, we know they do." James replied, as he pinched the bridge of his nose and continued to walk. The three from Beacon were currently escorting the Hunters from Achievement back to the school. While many were sad to go, most were glad to be returning to the safety of Vale's walls. The pack of fighters continued to carry on through the woods, despite the hyena's protest.

"IKEEEEEE."

"Yes… Rideat." Ike replied, equally exasperated.

"Can you carry me?"

"No, I can't Rideat."

"Why not?"

"Because it'd look weird?" Dakota pointed out.

"Because he already has to carry himself?" James added.

"Because I just don't want to?" Ike said.

"GUYYYYSSSS!" The Faunus complained.

"SHUT UP KID!" One of the Hunters in the group behind them called out.

"Who said that!?" Rideat yelled, as he quickly turned around and held up his fists. "Come on, say it to my face!" He said as the group of Hunters began to pass by him. "That's what I thought, just keep walking." He said, smugly.

"I said, shut up kid." One Hunter said as he past the teen.

"Oh, it was you then, take this then!" The Faunus then spun on his heel and punched at the man, only to realize his mistake. He had punched at the biggest man he could've. Standing at about two heads taller than the teen, the man wore a large amount of armor and had a giant sword hefted over one shoulder. In his other hand, was the teen's hand. "Oh, hello there." Rideat said weakly and added a forced laugh. "I'm Rideat." He then said, sticking out his prosthetic hand for the man to shake.

"Nice to meet you." The man replied, right before punching Rideat in the face, sending him sailing backwards and slamming into a tree.

"Damn it, Agni. Now someone has to carry him." Dakota said, more upset about having to carry Rideat than Agni hitting the teen.

"He'll be fine, he can walk." Agni replied.

"He's completely dazed." Ike replied bluntly.

"What makes you say that?" The big man asked.

"I can practically see the stars floating around his head." Blue replied.

"Did anyone get the license plate of that truck?" Rideat asked, sitting down with his back resting against the tree he had been punched into. His eyes wide and white and his head unable to stay in one place.

"No, we didn't." Agni replied, with a chuckle. The Faunus then collapsed from his sitting position to one on his side.

"And now he's unconscious." James said.

"Well, who's carrying him?" Dakota asked.

"Nose goes!" James called out, right before placing a finger on his nose. Before Ike could react, the rest of his friends did so as well. He then looked behind his to see the rest of the Hunters had placed their fingers on their noses as well.

"Damn it." The archer said.

**-A Little While Later-**

"What have you been eating, Rideat?" Ike complained to himself as he carried the still unconscious Faunus. Unknown to him though, a white hooded woman appeared from the forest around him and began walking next to him. "Stupid Agni, knocking a kid unconscious and then not carrying him. I should…"

"Hello, Ike." Summer said.

"AHH!" The teen yelled, flailing his arms for a moment and nearly dropping Rideat. "Summer, when'd you get here and don't ever sneak up on me like that again."

"I think a better question is why you're carrying a knocked out Faunus, who's currently drooling on your shoulder."

"Drooling on my…?" Ike said, before looking at his shoulder that Rideat's head was resting on. Sure enough, the Faunus was drooling on it. "Rideat!" He yelled out.

"Here, let me help." Summer said, as she pushed Rideat's head back.

"Maybe if I'm lucky he'll choke." Blue said as he wiped the drool off his shoulder. "Anyways, why're you here. Didn't you say you would meet us at Vale?"

"I did, but walking alone is boring and I wanted to talk to you a bit." The woman replied.

"About what?"

"Well, I thought it'd be nice to know a little about my daughter's boyfriend. Well, that and more about this world we live in."

"Let's start with the world then. As you know, we aren't in the real world, we're in my head. An alternate version of me, which was born when my brother died and is the embodiment of my anger and hatred, took over my head and currently has control of my body. The only way to regain my body is by killing the pieces of my alternate self. However, my alternate self, Vesh, also has control of the Grimm in my head. This means that we have to kill the Grimm to get to Vesh. There are a hundred different pieces of Vesh in my head, and killing all of them will let me take by my body and, hopefully, kill Vesh completely. The big issue is, the more pieces of Vesh we kill, the stronger they get. Meaning that our fights will only get harder and harder." Ike explained.

"Which is where the Hunters come in. You need us to be able to help you kill the pieces of Vesh."

"Exactly."

"So have much trouble have you been having with these fights recently."

"In a nutshell, they're difficult but not impossible. Adding this many Hunters will definitely help though and hopefully we can add more and more of us to the fight."

"So answer this to me, how did everyone else get here?" Summer asked.

"Well… you're all dead."

"I know that I'm dead, but why am I currently in your head."

"Well, because you're a memory. Everything here is a memory of the real world, including you."

"So this world is crafted from your memories?"

"Exactly."

"Interesting. I'm assuming your memory of me comes from Ruby?"

"You'd be correct."

"And how about the memory of everyone else?" Summer asked.

"History, graves, personal experiences, that kind of stuff."

"Now that that's out of the way, I should probably learn a bit about you."

"Well, what do you want to know?" The archer asked.

"My first question would be, what weapon do you use, but I already know that."

"You're just like Ruby." The teen said with a smile.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because the first day we got to Beacon, she obsessed about all of the weapons that the other students had. You're just as obsessed about weapons as she is, aren't you."

The woman in white laughed a little at hearing this, and said, "Yep, it's nice to see that she took after me in more ways than one. So tell me more about my daughter. Wow, that's something I never thought I'd say."

"Well, she looks almost exactly like you, she even has the same color of hair as you, except hers has a slight shade of red."

"She always did like red."

"I don't think there's been a time when she wasn't extremely cheerful. She's always willing to help, even if it means going out of her way, and that's something that other people start to pick up just from being around her. Even though she can be a little awkward when you first meet her, she's one of the most loyal friends someone can ever have. It always seems to amazes me that she seems to have limitless joy inside of her. Just getting to be around her has made me so infinitely happy, and she's really the biggest driving force behind me trying to get out of here and back into the real world. I guess I'm just lucky to be able to have her in my life." Ike said. He was looking upwards at the sky the entire time he spoke. As he finished, the teen looked over at Summer to see her with a wide and prideful smile on her face and wiping away a tear from her eye.

"Just hearing you say that lets me know she's in good hands with you around." The woman then wrapped her arms around the archer. "Thank you."

"I should really be thanking you." Ike replied as he wrapped an arm around her and led her forward for a few steps.

After a few moments of silence, Summer ended the hug and continued to walk forward. "It would probably be nice to hear about you now."

"Well, how much I tell really depends on how far into my past you want to go."

"Tell me everything. We have plenty of time."

"Well, I was born into a pretty average family. I had an older brother and two loving parents. My mother stayed at home and watched over me and my brother, while my father worked. At the time, James, my mother, and I all thought he worked at some dust company we'd never heard of. It wasn't until a few years later than James and I learned he worked in the Black Market. Anyways, one day my dad left for work and never came back. I can still remember that morning perfectly. My mom was making bacon and James and I were watching TV when my dad came down. He kissed my mom, grabbed a piece of bacon off of the pan, burnt his tongue on said bacon, said bye to us, and then walked out the door. After that, my mom just kind of gave up on life. She just stopped doing anything except for crying day in and day out, until she eventually died. That just left me and James to fend for ourselves. We probably would've been put into an orphanage if we hadn't just left our house before anyone discovered that we didn't have any parents anymore. So, my brother and I began living on the streets. That's where we first started to learn to fight. We had to learn so that we could protect ourselves, and even though we couldn't fight that well, we fought well enough to keep ourselves alive." Mers said. It was obvious that the story was beginning to become difficult for him to tell.

Before Summer could say anything, James entered the conversation. He wrapped his arm around Ike's shoulders and continued the story. "We looked out for each other. Ike was all I really had at that point of my life and I was all he had. Eventually, a man named Victor found us. He wasn't the first person that offered us a bed and food, but he was the first to offer a place where we could live and a place where we could learn to fight even better. I accepted his offer and took Ike with me. I still wonder if that was the right choice or not. Anyways, Victor trained us to become hitmen. It was brutal training that often had us ending our days battered and bruised, but we eventually finished. That's when we officially joined the organization. We were paid to track down people and kill them. Often times these weren't the most reputable people, but I don't think the police would've cared who they were if they ever caught us. Eventually we were hired to go after a guy named The Wessel. I died that night. The guy shot me and I died in that warehouse. It was a fitting end for me." James said with a sad smile.

"After that, I tried putting my past behind me and moving on with my life." Ike said, picking up his life story. "I quit the organization, joined Beacon, met Ruby and Yang, and was having a nice life. Then Victor showed up again. He began hunting me with everyone he could throw at me. I got so close to killing him not too long ago, but I missed my opportunity thanks to Vesh taking over my body. So, here I am. Trying to fight my way out of my own head so I can finally put my past behind me. Trying to fight my way out, so that I can finally kill the man that has tried to kill me. So that I can kill Victor. I'll just have to piece back what kind of life I'll have afterwards."

"You know, they say revenge is an act of passion. But at the same time, they say that vengeance is the act of turning anger in on yourself. On the surface it may be directed at someone else, but it is a surefire recipe for arresting emotional recovery. I would suggest not going after vengeance, but living your life as normally as you can." Summer said. "It was fighting that claimed my life, and I don't want to see it claim yours as well."

"I don't really think it's my choice if I get to live a normal life."

"You'll just have to see what happens once you get out of here. We should focus on one thing at a time for right now." Summer said.

"She's right, which means we don't need to be planning ahead until we know what happens in the present." James said.

"How much further?" Rideat wined from Ike's back.

"You're awake!?" The archer yelled.

"Yep."

"For how long!?"

"Ehh… Maybe a few minutes." The Faunus said.

"And you didn't tell me?"

"Nope."

"Why?" Blue asked.

"Because, it's so much more comfortable to be carried." Rideat said, as he rested his chin on Ike's shoulder. Well, he rested it for about a second until Ike threw him off of his back. "IKE!" Rideat wined from the ground that he was sitting on.

"CARRY YOURSELF!" Ike yelled back.

"Hey Agni…" The hyena said, as he sat on the ground and the big Hunter walked past him.

"Climb on. I guess I own you one."

"YAY!"

**-Later-**

"Welcome back!" Headmaster Nehn said, greeting the Mers brother and the Faunus. "And I see you've brought guests. That's fine, we have plenty of open rooms. Would've been nice if you asked first though." The Headmaster said, mumbling the last sentence. The Hunters simply walked past the Headmaster.

"Ahh, Headmaster Nehn. Good to see you." James said.

"Nice to see you didn't die." Nehn said. "It honestly amazes me that you three always seem to make it back in one piece."

"You're not the on one amazed." Rideat replied, as he approached the group.

"Anyways, we'd like you to meet Dakota and Zedong. They're the leaders of Achievement, the city where all of these Hunters come from. Dakota, Zedong, This is Headmaster Nehn."

"It's nice to meet you." Zedong said, extending his hand.

"Nice to meet you too." The headmaster said, shaking the elder's hand. "And Dakota, it's nice to see you again."

"Again?" James asked.

"Yes, Dakota trained at Beacon while Nehn was the headmaster." Ike said.

"She was one of my finest students and the leader of the top team in her class, DARC."

"DARC, was Agni on your team?" Rideat asked jokingly.

"Actually, yes." Dakota replied, stopping the Faunus's laughter.

"That must've been a scary team." The hyena mumbled to himself, as he began walking into Beacon.

"They were." Nehn answered. "Anyways, what brings you all here today?"

"We'll be helping in the fight against the Grimm." Dakota said confidently. "If you'll allow us to stay at Beacon for a while."

"I'll have to ask the other Headmasters, but I'm sure they'll allow it. Please, make yourselves at home."

"Thank you, Headmaster Nehn." Zedong said. "Now, I've heard you don't have any way of knowing if someone has died in combat or not. Now at Achievement we've found a way…" The elder said, as he led the Headmaster towards the halls of Beacon."

"I'd better go find my old room and set up camp. I don't think we'll be leaving any time soon." Dakota said, as she entered the building.

"Ya, a nap sounds nice right now. I'll see you later little bro." James said, as he followed Dakota.

"A nap in your room you mean." Dakota said.

"Well, I was thinking."

"Shut up, I already don't want to hear it." The Huntress said.

"Honey, come on."

"What did you call me!?" The sniper yelled, enraged.

"Nothing!" James replied with a fake smile on his face.

"Well then…" Ike said to himself as he stood in front of the entrance of Beacon. "This seems familiar, standing in front of Beacon by myself with everyone walking around me."

"What happened the last time this happened to you?" Summer asked from behind the archer.

"Your daughter exploded." Ike replied as he began to walking into the school.

"She had a meltdown on the first day?" Summer asked.

"No, she literally exploded a hole in front of the school! And there was some fire, and I think some ice?"

"Are you being sarcastic?" The woman asked.

"I wish."

* * *

**I felt this chapter was kinda needed. I added a lot of things that I've been wanting to add for a while. Well, I don't have any news for the story, but be sure to go check out In The Wind, my original story, over on FictionPress. I'm working on the second chapter now and the story is a concept that I've been wanting to do for a while. I write under the same name over there too, if that helps you. Anyways, don't forget to leave a review or send me a PM so I can talk to you. I'll see you in the next chapter, bye!**


	38. Chapter 14: The Approaching Tide

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? You know I wonder how many times I've written those two sentences now. Probably a lot. Anyways, I'm officially eighteen now. And you know how I celebrated? I lost $20 play the lottery. But in other news, I quit my job at Subway, because it sucked and I'm starting my senior year of high school in two days. I have nothing els new in my life, so I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Vesh stood calmly against the target as another knife flew passed his head and stuck into the wall. "You see." Professor Burns said. "That knife stuck into the target."

"Why do I have to be in front of the target?" Vesh asked boredly.

"Quiet." The professor scolded. "Now, if I move only six inches closer…" The teacher then moved forward slightly and threw another knife, which came so close to Blue's head he could feel the wind off of it. The knife collided with the target and bounced off of it, clattering as it hit the ground. "The knife will simply bounce off instead of sticking in the target. When it comes to knife throwing, your positioning is just as important as the throw. You can have a flawless throw, but if you're standing in the wrong spot the knife will simply bounce off."

"You still haven't told me why I'm standing in front of the target." The teen said boredly once again.

"I will in a moment." Professor Burns said. "Now, are there any questions?"

"Why are we leaning this when there aren't any knife throwers in this hour?" Ruby asked.

"Because… I didn't want to change my lesson plan for this class. Also, knife throwing is fun, because you can do this." The teacher then threw three knives at once, surrounding the teen's head, but receiving no reaction from the teen.

"Can I sit down now?" Vesh asked.

"Ya." Burns said a bit dejected. "It's no fun when you don't flinch." The teacher then threw another knife passed the archer's head as he walked towards his seat, only to receive no reaction and having the knife stick into Vesh's desk. Vesh pulled the knife from the desk and sat down. He played with the knife for a few moments, until Burns walked in front of the target. Blue then quickly stood up and threw the knife just passed the teachers head, having it slam into the target behind the man, but not sticking into the target.

"Hmm, I guess you're right, the positioning does matter." The archer said.

Burns simply looked shocked as he stared at the teen, before anger filled the man's face. "Ozpin's office, NOW!" The man yelled.

"Ya ya, I'm leaving." Blue replied as he picked up his books and began walking out of the room. "See ya Rubes." He said, before walking out of the door and closing it behind him.

"Now then…" The professor said. "Let's find out where Mr. Mers would've had to stand to for the knife to stick.

**-To Ozpin's Office-**

Glynda Goodwitch picked up the intercom on her desk. "Mr. Mers, would you please…." She was cut off by Vesh opening the door.

"Already here." He said, as he walked up to the door to Ozpin's office.

"Oh." She then put down the intercom. "Why were you already here?"

"Threw a knife at Professor Burns." He replied calmly as he opened the door to Ozpin's office and stepped in. "He kicked me out." He said happily as he closed to the behind him.

"Ahh, Mr. Mers. You arrived rather quickly." Ozpin said as he read through files on his desk. Vesh then sat down in one of the two chairs across from the Headmaster.

"I was already on my way." Blue replied as he put his books on the desk.

"Yes, Mr. Burns already informed me." The Headmaster replied as he threw a file into the trashcan.

"What was that?" Vesh asked.

"Transcripts for next year's class."

"Ahh, makes sense. Now, do you want to chew me out for throwing knives at Professor Burns?"

"Maybe another time, we have more important matters to attend to. Also, you didn't hit him, so you'll only get a detention and possibly a stern lecture from Professor Goodwitch."

"Sounds fair enough. What are these more important matters?" The archer asked.

"We've received news that a certain someone you've been looking for has a new base of operations."

"And who might that be?" Vesh asked casually.

"You know him as Victor."

"Victor?" The teen said far more seriously, as he sprang to attention. Vesh's search for the man hadn't stopped since the day he took over Ike's body. The constant threat of someone attacking him during one of his plans was enough to spur him into wanting to rid himself of the man.

"Yes, that's the alias you know him as."

"What do you mean by alias, isn't that his name."

"No, it is not. It's the name he's gone by for the past 30 years though. His real name is, Vered Donovan." **(Kudos to anyone who figures out the meaning behind this name. If you figure it out, pm me and I'll announce how smart you are in the next chapter.)**

"Vered, huh. That's news to me. Anyways, what news do you have on him?"

"He's found an old warehouse in an abandon settlement, about 60 miles northeast of here, which is where we believe Vered is hiding." Ozpin said.

"Wouldn't the Grimm have ripped them to shreds if they're outside the protection of the city?"

"They might have been; however, if they've created another fortress and masked their footsteps well, the Grimm might not have even noticed them."

"Very well, so is the High Counsel sending Hunters in after them?"

"No." Ozpin replied.

"No?"

"No."

"Why not? It's obvious that they're not on the side of the law."

"Well, that's where you may be wrong. After hearing this news, only about half of the members of the High Counsel agree on if they should attack the group at all. Half see them as criminals, as you do, because they kill without the authority to do so. However, the other half see the group as doing more good than harm and that they should let the vigilantly justice continue."

"So they can't attack, because they can't make a decision?"

"Precisely."

"What does any of this have to do with me though?" Vesh asked.

"You see, if a group of students, whom are all unaffiliated with the government, were to attack the compound the counsel wouldn't have to vote on if they should attack or not."

"Couldn't I get a murder charge for this though, if I kill Vered?"

"Not exactly. You have orders to attack this group by a member of the High Counsel." Ozpin said as he slide a file over to Vesh. "This means that the member who has given this order would be taking the fall for an actions that the other members don't appreciate. You'll be fine. Of course, you can always decline the offer and not go on the mission."

"I accept." Vesh said instantly.

"Excellent. I must warn you though, you won't be allowed to have any Hunters alongside you this time. Also, I've only been given permission to let you be accompanied by one other team from the school, seeing as the member who has given me this mission doesn't want too much blood on his hands should this mission fail. You should pick wisely, and perhaps find a team that has more combat experience than team RWBY."

"Understood, though I'm certain team RWBY is more than qualified to fight alongside me during this mission." The teen then stood up and began to leave the office, before he was stopped by Ozpin's voice.

"I'm sorry Mr. Mers, but I think you misunderstood me. I'm not permitting team RWBY to accompany you on this mission. They're too inexperienced."

"Then why am I allowed to go on this mission."

"Because, this is a fight that is personal to you. Also, I know that you much stronger than you let on."

"Very well. I'll trust you can pick a team that is strong enough to accompany me."

"Then I'll begin looking through team files immediately and let you know my decision by 9:00 tonight. The bullhead will leave at 10:00 in the morning two days from now. Be there, or the bullhead will leave without you."

"Understood. I look forward to seeing which team you've chosen for me." The teen then walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

"I seriously doubt that." Ozpin said as he began to flip through team files on his desk. "Hopefully you'll be forced to use all your strength on Vered and Ike can gain some ground inside his head easily." The Headmaster said to himself. "Glynda." He said into a phone on his desk.

"Yes, Headmaster?"

"Please call team NEON into my office."

"Certainly." The Headmistress said, before making the announcement.

**-To Team RWBY/JNPR/Ike's Room-**

Vesh opened the door to nothing quite unusual from the teens he roomed with. Yang wasn't doing anything particularly interesting, Ruby was studying, Weiss was helping Ruby study, and Blake was reading. Jaune was doing homework with Pyrrha's help, Nora was listening to music, and Ren just looked happy that Nora wasn't bouncing off the walls. "…recipe for cookies." Red said, ending a sentence.

"Did someone say cookies?!" Nora asked as she quickly became alert.

"Nobody said cookies, Nora." The stoic teen lied, hoping to keep Nora relaxed.

"And you should be studying, instead of talking about cookie recipes." White scolded from next to Ruby

"So there was talk of cookies!" Nora said excitedly. "YOU LIED!" She yelled at Ren, as she pointed at him.

"Yes, I lied. Now can you just go back to listening to music?" The boy with the magenta in his hair asked.

"Anyways, what'd I miss in Professor Burns's class?" Vesh asked.

"Nothing really, just a short rant about safety and respect." The Grimm Reaper replied.

"How much trouble did you get in for throwing a knife at Burns?" Yang asked.

"Just a detention, he had a more important matter to discuss." Blue replied.

"And that was?" Red asked.

"He had more information about Victor."

"Anything to act upon?" Blake asked.

"Well, I'm heading out in two days." Vesh said as he flopped down onto his bed.

"To where?" Ruby asked from her desk.

"Some abandoned warehouse outside of Vale. Victor, aka Vered Donovan, is there. I'm attacking the warehouse with some fourth year team."

"Wait, did you say you were going with a fourth year team?" Yang asked.

"Yep."

"Why not us?" Jaune asked.

"Ozpin thinks it would be too dangerous. I completely disagree however." Blue said, seeing a chance to either cause a small amount of havoc or allow teams RWBY and JNPR to join him on the mission.

"If they come with, I can hopefully kill them and claim they died in combat. Then I'd have eight thorns removed from my side and finally have some peace and quiet." The evil teen thought.

"We did just fine last time." Nora said from her bed. "Why can't we just go and fight again?"

"Ya, nobody died last time, we should be able to attack the warehouse too." Jaune added.

"No Hunter backup this time, but maybe if we went along with a fourth year team, then you could all accompany me." The archer said with a sly smile on his face.

"I don't think it's a good idea." Ren said.

"I agree with Ren. It seems far too dangerous for us to go." Pyrrha added.

"Then why is Ike going?" Ruby asked.

"He said I can go, because I have a vendetta against Vered." Vesh replied.

"That seems like bad reasoning." Weiss said.

"It is. If Ike is strong enough, then we all are." Yang said.

"Maybe if you talked to Ozpin…" Vesh added.

"Great idea, Ike!" Nora yelled as she sprang up. "Let's go talk to Ozpin!"

Before the pink haired girl could run out the door, however, Ren grabbed her and stopped her. "Do you all really think that'll change Ozpin's mind?" The stoic teen asked.

"Why wouldn't it?" Ruby asked.

"Because Ozpin's a stubborn man. He's probably already weighed the risks of the mission and made his decision carefully." White said.

"That does make sense." Jaune said.

"Don't flip sides Jaune." Yang scolded. "The worst that can happen is that he'll say no."

"And think that we've become irresponsible and stop us from going on dangerous missions, because he's afraid we're reckless." The Heiress retorted.

"So you're saying we should just let Ike go out and try something dangerous by himself?" Ruby asked.

"No, I'm saying we shouldn't go charging into Ozpin's office and start making demands. I'm sure Ike can handle these degenerates with the help of a fourth year team." White replied.

"I don't know. I could get hurt." Blue said.

"You will with that attitude." Yellow said.

"Thank Yang." Vesh replied bluntly. Seeing that his idea of getting RWBY and JNPR to join him on the mission was getting no support, the teen then stood up and said, "Well, I'm going to go do some research on the area."

"You're just going to go out and research an area after dropping a bomb shell like that?" Yang asked.

"Might as well, what else am I going to do?" Vesh replied.

"Homework?" Weiss suggested.

"Make cookies?" Nora added.

"Spend time with your friends?" Yang said.

"I think this is a better use of my time." The archer replied as he walked out the door and close it behind him.

"Fine, who needs you anyways!?" The blonde yelled back, before laying down in her bed.

"All you two do is fight anymore." Ruby said, sadly.

"Well blame him for that, not me!" Yang replied. "Ever since we came back from that Victor mission, he's been different. He's hostile to everyone and doesn't even make an attempt to care about us."

Red sighed and said, "I'm going to go talk to him."

"I wouldn't waste your breath." Yang replied as her sister walked out of the room.

After a small period of silence, Nora asked, "So are we going to make cookies or not?"

**-And to the Library- **

Vesh silently read the books the librarian had given him over the area he'd be fighting in. "Hey." Ruby whispered to him as she sat down next to him.

"Ruby, I'm kinda busy." He replied, without lifting his eyes up from the book.

"Ike." She said. "You've become distant this past few weeks."

"I know, but I'm just been busy." He replied.

"To busy to spend a few minutes with everyone?" She asked.

Blue looked up from the book and said, "I'm sorry that I have to do research to make sure I don't get killed, I'm sorry that I've been too preoccupied with trying to find the person that's been hunting me to be involved in one of Yang's stupid ideas, I'm sorry that I lost every member of my family and I'm trying to make a future where my past isn't in the way." The archer then looked back down at the book.

"I know you've been busy, we all know that, but your starting to become obsessive. It's like what happened to Blake all over again. And not only that, you've become hostile to everyone." The Grimm Reaper pointed out.

"I haven't exactly lived a stress free life this past year." He replied.

"I'm not blaming you for being stressed and for some of that stress to come out in a negative way, I'm saying that maybe you should take a break. Relieve some of the stress in your life."

"Last time I tried that I ended up shielding you from a bullet and falling into a coma."

"But that's not going to happen again."

"You don't know that."

"Ike." Ruby said as she closed the book for the archer.

"Well there goes my spot." He said, before looking up at her.

"I'm starting to worry about you. You're pushing everyone away from you, you're pushing me away from you."

"I'll focus more time on you and on everyone else, as soon as I come back from this mission. For now, though, I need to focus on researching and making sure I can end everything with Vered. As soon as I kill him, we can go back to our happy little lives, but until then I have to focus on this. Okay?"

"Alright. Just… promise that you'll go back to the way you were when we first met after this is all done."

"I promise." Vesh lied.

"Thank you." She then stood up and kissed the person she thought was her boyfriend. "Don't work too hard, you have to save some strength for the mission."

"Don't worry, I won't." He replied. The girl then walked out of the library, leaving Vesh to himself.

"Now that that nuisance is gone, I can get back to reading." He thought. His scroll then rang out, signaling he had a message. The teen checked it to see to see it was from Ozpin.

The message read, "I've chosen team FRST, pronounced frost. The members of the team are in the training room if you wish to meet them and train with them before the mission. The team is led by Fira Seraphina, with its members being: Yuki Roka, Snow North, and Neve Timber. I wish you the best of luck."

"Or maybe I can't. Well, I should probably go meet them." Vesh thought. He then stood up, returned the books and headed to the training room.

**-To the Training Room… Away!-**

Vesh walked into the room to see team FRST sparing against one another. Fira Seraphina, the only girl of the group and the leader, was sparing against a man of eastern origin. Vesh recognized the girl as the girl with the flame sword that Ruby was swooning over the first day they arrived at Beacon. Fira then switched her sword into its secondary form of a flame thrower and spewed fire across the training area. She was a shorter girl with bright red hair and leather combat gear that complimented her hair. Vesh assumed that her weapon was powered by fire dust.

Her sparring partner, whom the archer assumed was Yuki, had silver hair and icy blue clothing that gave him the appearance of ice, which matched his icicle shaped earrings. He wielded a katana with a steel blade and a black handle, which had white leather wrapped over it. As the flames engulfed the area in front of him, the man in white switched his weapon into a ranged form. His katana changed into a crossbow with bladed limbs. He then fired an arrow through the flames, which Fira dodged with an aerial.

Vesh looked over at the other sparring duo to see one dressed in white and the other in gray. The one in white had snow colored hair and wore a hoodie lined with gray fur. In both hands he gripped ice picks, which he used as small axes. The white haired man then spun the ice pick in his right hand around his wrist by the leather strap and fired a projectile, which looked like a small harpoon, at his sparring partner. The man in gray simply side stepped the projectile. The man in white then fired a harpoon from the other ice pick and reloaded both within a second.

The fourth year student in gray then charged at his partner. This man had a wolf-like appearance, which was only amplified by his gray and messy hair and wolf ears on his head, signaling he was a Faunus. He then slashed at his teammate, who dodged with a backwards handspring, with razor sharp claws on his metal gloves. Before the man in white had recovered, the wolf Faunus then shot the claws, which were attached to steel wires, out of the gloves and at his teammate. The man in white dodged once again and charged at his teammate. The wolf then pulled his hand back, retracing the claws and twisted his hand to the side. The wires then contorted and moved over towards the man in white, who jumped over the wires and claws attached to them and continued his charge. As the man in white brought down one of his picks on his teammate, the wolf backhanded the pick with one hand and attempted to attack with the retracing wires once again.

Vesh watched as the pairs dueled, until Fira noticed him watching. "Stop!" She called out. "And who might you be?" She asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." Blue replied from the bleachers.

"I asked first though."

"True. I'm Ike Mers. You'll be accompanying me on my mission in a few days."

"Fira Seraphina and I believe you mean you'll be accompanying us on our mission in a few days." She replied.

"That's cute, you think you're in charge on this mission, but let me tell you something." Vesh said, as he stood up and began descending the bleachers. "Vered has been hunting me down for months now and I intend to pay back the favor by hunting him down." He then began walking up to the girl. "He can run through the woods, he can swim through a river, he can even dig a cave through a damn mountain for all I care! But I will kill him. He's been a thorn in my side for too long now and I have plans that don't involve me being distracted by him trying to kill me." He was now only inches away from the girl. "Got it?"

"It's funny that a first year thinks he's tough. Let me tell you something, kid. You aren't. You're just a little teenager who thinks he's tough because he got into a fighting academy."

"You want to try to prove that?" Vesh asked with a sinister smile.

"Sure." Fira then tried to hit Vesh with a right hook, but her fist was caught by Vesh's hand.

"Going for the cheap shot, huh? That wasn't a very honorable thing to do, but let me tell you something, GIRLY!" The evil teen said with a crazed look in his eye as he added emphasis on the last word. He then twisted Fira's hand, bringing her down on one knee. His eyes began turning pure black as Vesh let his strength recede from the battle against Ike and into the rest of his body. "I'm stronger than you are, so you're going to listen to me, you're going to stay out of my way when we fight, we're going to kill Vered, and then we'll never have to see each other again. Understood?"

"Yes." Fira said weakly through the pain.

"You gotta speak up, I'm a bit hard of hearing."

"Yes!" She yelled.

"Good!" He then released the leader's hand and kicked her in the chest, sending her flying across the room and into a wall. The evil teen then began walking away.

"I'm Snow by the way." The man in white said softly.

"Timber." The wolf Faunus said, matching his teammate's tone.

"Nice to meet you." Vesh said calmly as he continued to walk away.

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**Ahh, I love when I get to make my characters a little bit insane. So, next chapter should be one of those chapters where I'll be switching in between Ike and Vesh. I also think it might be a longer chapter, but I'm not entirely sure yet. We'll just have to see what happens. I don't think I have anything else to say, but be sure to check out my story over on FictionPress, because I really love the idea of the world I've created with it. Also, don't forget to send me a pm or leave a review so i can read your feedback and know what you think of the story. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day, and I'll see you next chapter. Bye!**


	39. Chapter 15: The Enemy of My Enemy

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm pretty good myself. Anyways, i won my first soccer match, so that's good. Hopefully we have a good season this year. Anyways, there's nothing else for me to say, enjoy!**

* * *

"Be safe." Ruby called out as Vesh stepped onto the Bullhead.

"I will." He called back from inside the plane. The back hatch then closed, sealing the teen in with team FRST. "Alright then, who's ready to kill some people?" He asked somewhat manically.

"I'm ready to be done with this mission and get away from your crazy ass." Yuki said under his breath.

"What was that?" The evil teen said as he magically appeared inches in front of the student's face.

"He said he wanted to get away from your crazy ass!" Timber yelled.

"Oohh. You all got cocky and confident over the past few days haven't you? That's good. It'll be even more fun watching you all fail as you realize that you aren't as great as you think you are."

"What is wrong with you?" Fira asked.

"A lot of things. It'd take a little while to name them all off."

"Well here's the thing Ike, we don't care who you are, who you think you are, or even what you can do. We could handle this mission by ourselves, so just stay out of our way." The girl said.

"You certainly are full of yourself. That's good. So here's the plan, you can all run out and get mowed down like the cannon fodder you are, while I actually complete our objective. Sound good? Excellent!" His crazy way of talking then dropped after saying that. "Now shut up, so I can relax before we get started." The teen then walked to the other side of the cabin and sat down on the wooden bench.

Team FRST quickly looked at one another and nodded to each other. "I'll show you cannon fodder punk!" Timber yelled our as he charged at Vesh. The rest of the team was close behind. The evil teen had a demonic smile plastered to his face, but keep his eyes closed. The Faunus pounced towards Vesh in an attempt to end the fight he started quickly. Vesh quickly opened his eyes, to reveal they had turned completely black. Right before the wolf made contact with him, Vesh dodged to his side by scooting over slightly, allowing the other student to slam headfirst into the side of the ship. As Snow attempted to land a hard punch, Vesh kicked his fist out of the way. He then followed this with a kick to the stomach, sending him crashing backwards into Yuki and both of them into the other wall.

"Calm down back there!" The pilot yelled out as the Bullhead recovered from the unexpected tilt caused by the two teens slamming into the wall. Fira the led with a right hook, which Vesh blocked. He then rolled forward, off of the bench and kicked the bottom of it upwards. The kick send splinters flying to the sides and a single solid board flying into the air. The evil teen caught the board while it was still in the air. He then swung at Timber, who ducked under the attack. The Faunus then landed an uppercut on Vesh, lifting the evil teen off the ground and causing the board to fly into the air once more. Fira caught the board in the air and attempted to hit Blue with it. The teen kicked through the board before it hit him, only to receive a haymaker from Snow as he sprinted in, slamming Vesh into the wall and titling the Bullhead once again.

"Ready to give up?" Fira asked confidently as Vesh pushed himself up off the ground.

"I'm just getting started." He growled. Vesh then charged at team FRST. He jumped up just as he got to them and flipped upside down. He then pushed off the top of the plane, completing the flip and attempting a heel drop on Yuki. Yuki then dodged backwards, avoiding the hit. He then moved in, while Vesh was still recovering from his attack. The katana wielder unleashed a barrage of punches, which Vesh dodged and blocked. The evil teen then attempted to kick Yuki, only to have his foot caught by Timber. The archer the jumped and kicked the Faunus in the head. As he fell, Vesh caught himself with a backwards handspring. Fira and Snow then attacked together, with both of them landing hard right hooks.

As soon as Vesh had recovered, Yuki was already upon him. The two continued to fight, until they landed a hit. At the same time. Vesh managed to land a punch on Yuki's face, while Yuki had kicked Vesh in the chest. Both tumbled backwards, except Vesh returned to his feet immediately, ready to fight once again.

Yuki recovered from his hit and drew his weapon. "Stop!" Fira called out. "Just, leave him alone. I don't like him, but there's no point in killing each other."

"I'm glad you've seen that you're inferior." Blue said as he lowered his fighting stance and returned his eyes to their blue color. Timber growled at the word 'Inferior', but didn't attack. "Now, leave me alone and we won't have any more issues."

"Inferior?" Snow asked. "If Fira didn't stop us I'd be caving in your face right now."

"I'd like to see you try." The evil teen replied.

"That's it!" Snow said as he began to walk towards him once more. Vesh then got ready to defend himself again. Fira caught her teammate and pulled him back.

"I said we're done!" She yelled. "Sit down now!"

Snow returned to his seat along with the rest of his team, who began healing their wounds, while Vesh calmly laid down on the bench and closed his eyes, letting his Aura heal any bruises he had.

**-Meanwhile in Agartha-**

While Ike and Summer fought off the hordes of Grimm, they noticed something. The beasts were getting weaker. "Do they seem… dumber?" Summer asked the teen as they finally met each other on the battle field.

"They are dumber, and slower, and weaker. Vesh must be concentrating his energy into his body instead of his head."

"Which means?"

"It means that we need to lead a full frontal assault while we still can."

"I'll go gather everyone. Where do you want to attack?"

"Anywhere. Just have groups fighting. They don't have to be large, because the enemies will be easier to kill. However, once the enemy gets stronger again, everyone needs to retreat."

"Got it." She then quickly fled into the forest.

"James, I'm falling back."

"Why, we're winning!" He said back.

"I know, that's why I'm falling back."

"I don't understand."

"Vesh isn't putting all of his strength into the fight in here. The enemy will be weak, so we're launching a large assault. I have to retreat so I don't die. Just pull everyone back once the Grimm start getting harder to fight."

"Got it. Good luck in the real world." He said.

"Thanks." Blue replied, before fleeing from the battle.

James quickly climbed on top of the biggest rock he could find, which stood about ten feet tall. "Listen up people!" James boomed. "The enemy is weak, so we're going to push as far as we can. Everyone ready?!" He yelled out over the sounds of gunfire and death. He received a tremendous roar in response. "Good! Everyone fight your hardest! Live for today!" He called out.

"Fight for tomorrow!" The small army of people yelled back, before letting out another tremendous roar. James then rushed back into the battle and began to hack and slash into the enemy once more.

**-Above the Drop Zone-**

"Everyone ready?" Fira asked as she looked out of the Bullhead and over the arctic tundra below them. Vesh was looking out from the over side to see a few trees and rocks here and there, which would provide a small amount of cover. Their biggest advantage would be the snow and the snow that was fast approaching. The girl then walked back to the bench and opened up her bag. "Take these." She said as she held up snow white garbs. She tossed a marching band like jacket and white pants to Yuki, grabbed a parka for herself, gave Timber a white hoodie, and threw a white trench coat over to Vesh. She had hoped to him and, with luck, knock him out of the ship, but the teen simply caught the coat and slipped it on. Because he was already wearing white, Snow didn't need any new clothing. "These will help us blend into the snow." She said.

"Good thinking." Vesh commented.

"Never thought I'd hear a compliment from you." Snow said playfully.

"Don't expect many more of them." The archer replied seriously.

"We're close the drop zone. You'll be a few miles south of the objective. There's a cliff overlooking the sea, which is where the evac point will be. If shit hits the fan, we still have a gun on this thing and can help as much as we can. Just radio in when you need picked up or if you need assistance." The pilot said.

"Alright." Vesh replied.

"Copy that." Fira replied. "Alright, it's go time people. Everyone take a para…" Vesh then pushed himself out of the Bullhead and began plummeting towards the ground. "Chute." The girl said, finishing her sentence

"You think he has a landing strategy?" Timber asked.

"I hope so." Yuki replied.

"Why? If he splatters against the ground we won't have to worry about him." Snow pointed out.

"If he's strong enough to fight us without using his weapons, imagine what he'll do to someone he doesn't like. I doubt those people on the ground have a chance. We're really just here to assist." The katana wielder pointed out. The other three students shuttered at the image of Vesh eviscerating his enemies.

"I almost feel bad for them." Snow said.

"Don't, they're our enemies." The girl replied.

"I said almost." The student with the ice picks said.

"Regardless of what he can do and why we're here we need to get down there. I don't want him getting all of the glory." Fira said as she threw the parachute and jumped out of the Bullhead as well.

"She's nuts." Timber said.

"Ya, we all are though." Snow said as he followed his leader's example.

"Yuki, can you believe…" He then stopped as he looked over to where his teammate was to realize he was no longer there and a parachute was on the ground. "You jumped out too, huh?"

"He sure did." The pilot said.

"I always thought these people would be the death of me." The Faunus said as he dropped the parachute. "I just thought it would be in an explosion." The wolf then jumped out of the Bullhead without a parachute as well.

"Why do we even bother packing those things anyways? All these kids just jump out without them anyways." The pilot said to his copilot.

"Who knows? These kids just keep getting weirder and weirder though."

**-To Agartha-**

Ike patiently waited in the trees of the forest as he heard the sounds of fighting off in the distance. He had tied himself to the tree just in case he did happen to fall off the branch.

Meanwhile, James and Dakota were busy fighting off the Grimm in the nearby area. James hacked through a Beowolf with a downwards slash and brought his weapon upwards to kill the next one.

As an Ursa charged at him, it received a round to the side of its head, courtesy of Dakota. She then crouched and spun around. She then shot a Beowolf in the foot as it raised up to attack. This was followed by her casually placing her sniper rifle under the Grimm's chin and firing a round through its head.

A Boarbatusk charged at her, which she dodged with a roll to the side. The beast then had its charge stopped as James caught the beast by its horns. The man then lifted the beast into the air and slammed it back onto the ground behind him. James quickly switched his weapon in its axe and rifle form. He sprayed bullets into the beast's soft underside, killing it. He then threw the axe, sticking it into the head of a Nevermore that was swooping down.

The flying Grimm crashed into the ground and began sliding to a stop. Dakota sprinted towards the beast as it skidded and jumped on top of it. She then ripped the axe out of the beast's head and jumped into the air in one fluid motion. She spun in the air and, while holding her gun in one hand, shot another Nevermore out of the air. A Beowolf waited on the ground, ready to smack her out of the sky. The Huntress then threw James's axe into its head, where the weapon embedded itself. As the beast flew down, she landed on the hilt of the weapon and quickly pushed off. The axe was sent tumbling end over end, while the bed Beowolf was sent skidding across the ground as it slowly disintegrated.

James dove over the dead Beowolf and grabbed his weapon out of the air. He then rolled upon his landed and followed Dakota in her sprint across the battlefield. Soon they came upon the fragment of Vesh. "So you finally…" he was interrupted as Dakota fired a round at his head. "No greeting huh? Alright, let's get this over with." The fragment of Vesh then drew his bow and notched an arrow, which he fired at Dakota.

The girl dodged to the side and switched her weapon it its melee form. Spinning her weapon, the multiple turns and edges of the gun smoothed out, forming a perfect grip. The barrel had completely disappeared, with a head of a lance taking its place. The woman stabbed at Vesh, who dodged backwards. However, as soon as he did, the evil teen's posture dropped and he looked far more tired. The Huntress then planted the tip of her lance into the ground and used it to hold herself up as she drop kicked him in the chest. He flew backwards and towards James, who riddled him with bullets before slicing through his chest as he passed by the man. Vesh then began to dissolve, as did the Grimm. "Well, he didn't stand a chance." Dakota said.

"Ike wasn't kidding when he said Vesh wouldn't be strong in here."

"No he wasn't. Come on, we need to take advantage of Vesh being weak and keep attacking." The woman then sprinted off into the forest, with the rest of the fighters close behind her.

**-Back to Remnant-**

As Vesh plummeted towards the ground, he began to fade out of consciousness, until Ike was in command of his body once again. "What the hell?" Ike asked himself as he saw the ground closely coming towards him. "Oh shit!" He yelled out as he continued to fall towards the ground.

"What am I meant to do?" Ike thought to himself as the ground continued to get closer. "Maybe Vesh was planning on absorbing the impact." He thought. "Wait, my arrows!" He thought. The teen then drew a grappling arrow and connected one end to his bow. He then launched the arrow at a tree, sticking deep into it. The cord attached to his bow began to drag him forward, as he fell slightly, creating an arc. He almost looked like a monkey swinging from a vine as he flew. As he began to near the tree he attached his arrow to, the teen unhooked the cord from his bow, sending him into a small freefall. As he finally hit the ground, he felt a sharp pain in his knees, but rolled forward to avoid hurting anything else. "Shit, that hurt! I don't think it's broken, but it certainly isn't healthy right now. Why wouldn't you use a parachute?" He said to himself as he brushed the snow off his coat. "And where'd I get this?" he said, indicating to his coat.

"I think you have much bigger issues than that." A voice said. It was the voice of Vered.

"Victor!" Ike called out. "Where are you?" The teen then readied himself for a fight.

"Right here." He said as he stepped out from around the tree. "So they haven't told you my real name, have they? That surprises me."

"It's time to end this here and noowwaaaa" Ike said as his vision began to blur.

"Please, no. Not now. Not now!" He scream internally, but nothing could be done. Ike soon felt his body collapse and the coldness of the snow soon embraced him.

"Well then… that was unexpected. Drug him anyways and bring him back to the base." Vered said.

"And what should we do about the others?" Another man asked.

"Bring them in too. Might as well have more people to watch get torn apart." The leader said. Ike then felt a small needle be pushed into his body and lost control of his body once again.

**-To Agartha-**

Ike woke up, dangling from the rope he had tired around the tree. He quickly cut himself down and landed back on the ground. "Is anyone close to dropping another sector?" Ike asked over his comm.

"Just about to finish up here." Rideat replied.

"We might want to pause the charge though." Summer said.

"Why's that?" Ike asked.

"The Grimm are getting stronger. I don't think Vesh is using much energy outside of the fight in here right now." The woman in white replied.

"So we aren't the only one's having issue then." James replied.

"Nope." Summer answered.

"Alright, Rideat kill your piece of Vesh then everyone regroup."

"Will do. See you in a few minutes Ike." Rideat replied.

Blue waited for a few moments, but nothing happened. "Did you kill him Rideat?"

"Sure did, what are you still doing here?" The Faunus replied.

"I don't know." Ike answered.

"I do." A voice said from a tree limb above him. Ike looked up to see his dark counterpart.

"What're you doing here?"

"Couldn't take control once you got kicked out. My guess, you got us knocked out." Vesh replied. "Good going."

"It's not my fault! Why was I plummeting when I got control?"

"Cause I jumped out of a Bullhead, why else."

"Oh, yes, I should've known that." Ike replied sarcastically.

"You should have. Well, you should probably get comfy with me here, cause we're both stuck her until we come to."

"So what were you doing out in the middle of nowhere?"

"Had a mission. We're hunting down Vered."

"Vered?"

"Victor." Vesh replied.

"Oh. Just us?"

"No, we have a team of weak forth years with us as well."

"So that's what he meant by bring in the others."

"Ya, they probably got caught as well. You know, since we're kind of in danger here we should probably team up." The dark half said.

"Team up?"

"Ya, like we did when we fought him the first time, except I'll be in control and you'll be lending your strength to me this time."

"And why shouldn't I just keep winning in here while you're distracted?"

"Because then we'll pass out while in transition and probably die."

"Good point. Fine, truce. How do I give you my strength?" Ike said.

"Just concentrate on trying to regain control, you won't be able to, but it'll make our body stronger."

"I'll try my best." Ike then spoke into his comm. "Everyone stand down for now. If we kill another piece of Vesh we'll end up killing my body in the process."

"Got it." Rideat said.

"Understood." Summer replied.

"Rodger." James added.

"Copy." Dakota finished.

"So, now we just wait." The good half said.

"Seems like it." Vesh replied from the tree.

"Where do you think we'll be when we wake up?"

"I don't know, but I doubt it'll be a good place."

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**Yay, cliffhanger! Isn't it amazing? Anyways, there's no real news on the story, so I guess I'll just end the chapter here. I hope you all enjoyed, don't forget to leave a review, send me a pm, or anything like that, because I love talking to you all. I'll see you in the next chapter. Bye!**


	40. Thank You

Before I begin, would like to say that I'll be on a two week hiatus stating Saturday. I have a lot of things to do, so I hope you understand.

Hello everyone. How are you all today? I'm pretty good myself, but I have something I want to share with you all. Obviously, this isn't the newest chapter, but I hope you still read this.

So, I was doing my application for Purdue, when I got to the essay portion. The prompt was for me to write about a hobby, a personal interest, or anything like that and just tell them about it. So, today I want to tell you what I wrote to them.

As many of my first readers will know, I've been writing for a little over a year now, so I started about the end of my sophomore year, but I don't think I've ever told you guys about why I began writing. When I first began, I knew nothing about writing. I didn't read many books, I didn't ever write a whole lot, and I was never that great at writing. However, when I first started, none of that really mattered. I just started writing what I wanted to write and writing from my heart and everything work out okay. Yet again, I'm still not really saying why I started writing though. You see, during this period at my life, I was no longer happy with my life. Everything seemed to bore me, and I didn't feel satisfied with anything I ever did. As I went through relationship issues with a girlfriend at the time, things only seemed to get worse for me, to the point where I felt depressed in a way. I no longer thought there was anything to look forward to in life, and that what I had at the time was the best I was ever going to get. I also found it extremely hard to tell anyone any of this, so I started writing. I simply wanted someone to be able to read my story and for my voice to be heard. I wanted to feel like someone in the world was really seeing me for who I was. I wanted some way of being able to really convoying what I felt at the time to some other person without having to actually say what was wrong with me.

When I posted the first chapter of this story, I planned on having a few people see it and I would be happy with that, because someone would be able to read what was wrong with me at the time. I wrote so that someone, somewhere would sympathize with the hardships in my characters life and, in a way, sympathize with me. While I've never had my parents die and my brother murdered, I did feel lonely in a way. It was this same kind of loneliness that I was trying to convoy through Ike to all of you. I continued to write, but I began to take a different approach. I no longer wanted to write about the bad things in life but the good things. I wanted my character to become everything and have everything that I wanted. For him to be smart, witty, a hero, brave, and most importantly to me, to find love. So that's what I did, I made Ike's life better.

As I continued to write, I checked the stats on my story. I didn't realize how many people had seen what I wrote until then. Over a hundred people had read what I wrote, when at the time I expected twenty to have seen it. People, you guys, began to send me messages, saying they loved the story and that they looked forward to the next chapter. I nearly cried that night over the joy I felt. Even though it was only a little thing like that, I had hope that life could become better and that I wasn't at the best my life could offer me.

Because of that support, I continued to write. I wrote hundreds of words every night just so that I could post the next chapter and hopefully make more people happy to read the next chapter. Eventually, I had written fifty thousand words, and then one hundred thousand, and then one hundred and fifty thousand. The more that I wrote, the more that people read what I had written, but it wasn't until a few days ago that I realized that none of you knew what you were truly reading. You weren't reading some little story that I had pulled out of nowhere, you were reading the battle between everything that I wanted my life to be and every obstacle that stopped my life from being that way. Vesh, Victor, any villain, any issue, anything that I've ever written in this story was me writing an obstacle that my happiness faced. Vesh, representing my inner doubt, my inner anger, my inner sadness. Victor representing any force that the world had to throw at me, a twist that suddenly was thrown in my way. There are some many things that I could write here, but that'd take too long and stop me from getting to the final part of what I want to say here and that's thank you.

Thank you all so much for just reading my story, for every encouraging word you've ever said to me, for helping me when I needed it the most. You've all not only changed my life for the time being, but hopefully for years to come, because you've all helped me realize how much I love to write. You've made me realize that I want to be able to continue to express myself, to be able to share my life and anything that troubles me with as many people as I can. You've all made me realize that I want to become an author as soon as I can. I want to be able to inspire others and to let them find a way to let go of anything that troubles them the way that I can. I want to be able to let others feel the joy that I've been able to feel because of writing and because of you all. I want others to be able to love what I love to do.

I can't thank you all enough for what you've done. I doubt you know how much every little piece of support you've given me means. I can't thank you enough for giving me a life where I can't imaging not writing, and having a life like that, it's a great feeling.

Thank you all so much.


	41. Chapter 16: Is My Friend?

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm fantastic today, because I got accept into a college! I got accepted into Ball State University a few days ago, which is amazing. They also awarded me the Presidential Scholarship, which will give me $18,000 over four years. That cuts the cost of my tuition in half and that's a huge relief. Anways, onto the chapter. T****o avoid confusion, here's how the whole Ike and Vesh in the same body will work. Anyone who is familiar with Red vs Blue will know how AIs in that series work. That's how they'll work. To you Carolina and Church as an example, Vesh will be Carolina and Ike will be Church. For anyone who this makes no sense to, Ike will be giving Vesh a power boost, while also being able to use Vesh's senses to warn him about enemies. I hope this makes sense, if not please PM me. I hope you enjoy!**

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"Wakey wakey kiddies!" A Vered's voice boomed throughout the room, followed by a roar of cheers. The blue haired teen slowed opened his eyes to see lights far above him shine down on him. He sat up and looked around to see a desolate sight around him. He was in a box area, with people cheering around him.

"Where the hell are we?" Vesh thought.

"Probably in some sick game." Ike replied from inside Vesh's head.

"Yes, I already know that." Vesh then realized there were a few large boulders scattered around the area. He also noticed that he had no weapons whatsoever. Ichor and Nero as well as his arrows had been taken from him.

"Where the hell are we?" Snow asked as sat up and he rubbed his head.

"I don't know, but this isn't good." Fira replied as she stood up.

"Does anyone remember what happened to them?" Yuki asked.

"I remember jumping out after you guys and slamming into the ground." Timber answered bitterly.

"Nobody said you had to." The student in white replied with a smile.

"This isn't the time for jokes." Vesh scolded. "It appears they took your weapons too."

The four other students checked for their weapons but didn't find them. "Shit." Fira said. "Well, Ike, your our inside source on this guy, what's about to happen."

"I don't know. I've never been here before. Vered is a pretty twisted man though, so be ready for anything."

"Now that you're all up and kicking, we can start our little game." Vered said from somewhere within the crowd into a microphone. A light then switched on, showing that he stood in a section by himself, as if he was a king. "Here's what we're going to do. There are four doors leading into the arena. I'm going to open and let some Grimm in here. I'll keep doing this until you all die painful deaths. Just to make it sporting, I'll drop little treats for you five to help you fight. Good luck." He said.

"Did I just hear that?" Timber asked.

"We all did. We can't do anything about it, so just be ready to fight." The archer replied.

"How are we going to get out though?" The teen from eastern origins asked.

"We can just kill them all." Snow answered.

"That's incredibly stupid." Vesh replied.

"Well, we don't have backup coming or anyway of contacting them, so that rules out reinforcements." The Faunus pointed out.

"What if we get enough of these, "treats" and then rush one door." Fira suggested.

"That seems like the best plan." Snow said.

"Then we'll do that." The white haired teen said.

"Alright, get into formation Bravo." Fira ordered. Team FRST then formed a line with Fira and Snow on the ends. Snow formed a glyphs in front of him, using it as a shield. Fira got into a defensive stance, while Yuki conjured a glyph of his own before her. Timber, who was behind Snow, dropped to all fours and had his eyes change into ones that resembled wolves.

"Well then, they're just going to do their own thing." Ike said to Vesh within his head. Vesh then jumped onto the largest boulder in the area, which was in the middle, and got ready to fight.

"It seems that you are all ready, so let's begin the fun!" Vered said. His words were followed by a roar from the crowd and the sound of machines at work become audible. The four doors were being raised, and the Grimm were already trying to slip under the door as soon as they could. Eventually, the doors were lifted enough for Boarbatusks to slip under and charge the students.

As team FRST handled themselves, Vesh began fighting by himself. The first boarbatusk charged up the boulder and at him. "Ready?" Vesh asked in his head.

"Yep. What do you want me to do?" Ike asked.

"Give me any aura you can. Can you see what I'm seeing?"

"Yes, I can."

"Good, watch out the corners of my eyes for any enemies."

"Got it." The first Boarbatusk reached the teen, who caught it by its tusks. "Boarbatusk on the right." Ike warned. Vesh then spun and slapped the second creature of Grimm off the rock with the first. He then let go of the beast he was holding, sending it into the air, where Timber quickly dispatched of it. "Duck!" Ike warned. Vesh the ducked and rolled forward, avoiding another Boarbatusk from taking off his head. "The other Grimm are getting through the doors now." Ike warned.

"Understood." Vesh replied.

As the creatures began to flood the boulder Vesh was on, Vered made another announcement. "Well, our tech guys were finally able to hack into Beacon, so a live stream of this will be going up in 3, 2, 1…"

**-At Beacon-**

"I wonder how Ike is doing." Ruby said as she played with her food from her seat in the cafeteria.

"Don't worry, he can handle himself." Yang replied cheerfully.

"I sure hope so." The younger sister replied.

The loudspeakers within the building then buzzed as they were clicked on. "Hello? I hope this stupid thing is on." A man's voice said through it. "Yankee, this is working, right?"

"Does that voice sound familiar?" Weiss asked

"Yes sir." Another man replied on the other end of the loudspeaker.

"Good." First man said again.

"It kinda sounds like Victor." Yang said, answering Weiss's question.

"Hello students of Beacon, I doubt many of you know me but a few of you do. My name is Vered, or as some know me as, Victor."

"Did I hear that right?" Blake asked.

"I think so." Yellow replied with a hint of urgency in her voice.

"Now, recently a group of five students was sent to kill me. I'd like you all to open your scrolls and go to the link that will be sent to you all to see what happens when people try to harm me." Student's scrolls then began to ping with the sounds of messages being received. Shortly after, gasps and whispers quickly spread through the cafeteria. "Enjoy the show." The speaker then cut off.

Yang opened the link and quickly closed it. Ruby checked it as well, and looked upon the screen in horror as she saw he boyfriend fighting against a hoard of Grimm with only his bare hands. The look of horror in the girl's face then quickly changed to rage.

"Team RWBY please report to Professor Ozpin's office, now!" Glynda ordered through the intercom. "Teams NEON, SHDW, WATR, and WNTR are to report to the landing pad immediately." As soon as the announcement was made, Ruby had disappeared in a cloud of rose petals as she sprinted towards Ozpin's office.

**-In Ozpin's Office-**

"What do you plan on doing?" Glynda asked Ozpin.

"I'm going to send reinforcements to them and hopefully get them back here safely. Get two bullheads prepared for takeoff."

"But the High Counsel member said he didn't want too many students getting involved."

"What the High Counsel member said doesn't concern me right now." The headmaster replied. "Have Professors Burns, Peach, and Bronson meet me at the landing platform immediately, and have someone work on taking that livestream offline."

"Will do." Glynda said as Ozpin walked out of his office.

Ruby meet the headmaster as soon as he closed the door to the hall, with the rest of team RWBY close behind her. "I'm sure you're all aware of what is happening, correct?" Ozpin asked.

"Yes sir." Ruby replied.

"Good, then I hope you'll all understand how dangerous this situation is and stay here."

"We aren't just going to sit back and be helpless." Yang argued.

"This mission is far too dangerous for you all. You are not to leave Beacon without a direct order from me, understood?"

"But…" Ruby tried to argue.

"Miss Rose, I understand your attachment to Mr. Mers, but I know how to handle this situation properly. You'll just have to trust me."

Red then sighed and said, "Just make sure they get here safely."

"I will." The headmaster replied. He then turned and began walking down the hall towards the landing pad.

"Please just come back safe." Ruby whispered to herself.

**-Back to the Arena-**

"On your left!" Ike called out. Vesh then rolled forward, dodging an Ursa's claw from hitting him. "We need to get off this rock."

"I have a plan. Just watch for Grimm." The evil half said.

Vesh then jumped off the boulder, towards the hoard of Grimm. He jumped off of the back of an Ursa and then the head of a Beowolf, before landing a kick to another Ursa's face. Then jumped off the Ursa as it fell, spun, and kicked a Boarbatusk out of the air as it attempted to collide with him. He then landed and preformed an aerial, kicking a Beowolf in the bottom of its jaw as he spun.

As soon as he landed, Ike gave another call out. "Ursa swipe on the left." He called out. Vesh jumped up and over the paw of the beast, and connected a drop kick to its head. The force from his kick propelled him backwards, from which he recovered with a backwards handspring. As soon as he landed, Vesh jumped back into the air an on another boulder.

"Well, I think you all deserve a prize, here you go." Vered said through a speaker. He then tossed a chain out into the air.

"That's mine." The evil teen said, before launching himself into the air and catching his makeshift weapon. However, as soon as he caught it, a Nevermore swooped in from side towards him.

The archer instantly curled himself into a ball and braced for the inevitable impact. The bird smacked Vesh out of the air with the bottom of its wing, plummeting him towards the ground where team FRST was fighting. The teen smacked into the ground with a thud and bounce slightly. "Having trouble there?" Fira asked as she landed a four punch combo on an Ursa.

"I don't need your help." Vesh replied as he pushed himself off the ground.

"Stop being so cocky and just help us fight." Snow said as he blocked the attack from a Beowolf with a glyph.

"I said I didn't need your help." Blue replied with a growl. Vesh then wrapped the chain around his hand and begun to spin the chain. The Creatures of Grimm then quickly began to descend upon him. He first smacked a Beowolf in the head with the weapon, and continued to carry the weapons momentum.

"Remind me to thank Ruby for teaching me about carrying a weapon's momentum." Vesh said to Ike.

"You really mean that?" The good half asked.

"Of course not." He then wrapped the weapon around an Ursa's leg and spun around, carrying the Ursa with the chain. The chain then unwrapped itself from the Ursa and launched the beast into a crowd of other Grimm. Vesh then spun the chain, hitting a Boarbatusk, while he kick a Beowolf in the head. Vesh then spun the chain around himself a few times, before releasing it into a crowd of Beowolf. "Wolfy, catch!" He called out. As the chain continued to spin through the air, Timber caught it out of the air, carried its momentum, and continued to fight with the weapon.

"That was nice of you." Ike said.

"Not really, Vered is about to throw a knife out." Vesh replied.

"Of course you have some other reason."

"I fight for myself, not others." The evil teen replied as he slashed open a Beowolf.

"I really think you should reconsider the whole don't need help thing." Ike said Vesh began to get swarmed.

"Your right. Maybe they can distract these things and make my life easier. They might even be good human shields."

"I meant fight together."

"I like my idea better." The dark half replied as he sprinted towards team FRST. He then bumped Fira forward slighty, into the claw of a Beowolf. The girl dodged backwards, but still received a slash to her arm.

"Watch it!" She yelled out.

"Sorry." Vesh replied insincerely.

**-Meanwhile at Beacon-**

"Thank you all for meeting me here so quickly." Ozpin said as he arrived to where the two professors and four teams were standing at the landing pad. "It appears that I have underestimated the power of our enemy. I apologize for that." The man said. "However, right now we must act. As you know, your fellow students are in trouble and require your assistance. Teams NEON, WATR, and WNTR, you three will create a diversion and draw as many enemy soldiers as you can to your location. Professors Burns and Peach will be accompanying you. As for you team SHDW, you will be accompanied by Professor Bronson. You five will infiltrate the complex, free team FRST and Ike, and find their weapons. I do not care how you complete your object, just get it done." The man then began to walk off the platform as the reinforcements got onto the Bullheads.

**-Back to Vesh and Ike-**

"This is getting boring, none of them have died yet." Vered said boredly as he watched the students fight for their lives. The five of them were beginning to look worn, had minor injuries, and were running low on aura. "Maybe I gave them too many weapons." He looked down at the students. Vesh currently had a bow and sword on him, Yuki was wielding katana, Snow had a small fighting axe, Timber was wielding a sword of her own, and Timber had a knife in both hands.

"Should we just kill them, sir?" A man asked.

"No, no. That's not sporting." The leader then snapped his fingers as an idea popped into his head. "Release the elder Death Stalkers."

"But sir, aren't they extremely dangerous. Our walls may not be able to defend against them and people on the lower levels may get killed."

"So move them up." Vered replied. "Don't question me about this again."

"Understood sir." The man replied, before walking away.

Within minutes, the crowd on the lower levels of the stands moved up and the doors slowly began to open again. "This is our chance." Fira said. "Everyone, run to the door." The other four students complied and began to rush towards the door with her. That was a mistake.

As soon as the group arrived at the doors, they saw only darkness inside of it. There was no light at all. Then the side of a pincer burst through the darkness. Fira and Timber dove backwards, but Vesh, Snow, and Yuki were all too slow and were smacked across the room and into a wall. "That's what I wanted to see!" Vered yelled out, excited. The dark teen then coughed up a small amount of blood and clinched his chest in pain.

"The doors are closing!" Ike called out. Vesh quickly looked up to see that the voice in his head wasn't lying. "We have to stay and fight, Snow can barely stand and Yuki isn't going to be able to move fast enough while carrying him. We might have a chance to all get through if we…"

"No, I'm not going to stay here and die. I don't owe anything to them." Vesh replied as he stood up.

"Ike, help me out here." Yuki said.

"Are you saying just leave them?" Ike asked.

"Yep." The dark side replied. He then began to sprint towards the slowly closing door.

"Ike!" Yuki called out. "Damn it!" He then draped his teammate's arm over his shoulder and began to run towards the door as well.

Vesh dove under the pincher of a Death Stalker and ran past Fira and Timber, who were still fighting. "Where's Snow and Yuki!?" Fira called out.

"Back there. They're your team, you help them." He replied as he disappeared into the darkness.

"What?" She asked. She then turned around to see Yuki running, helping a barely walking Snow. "Are you kidding me?!" She then sprinted back to help her teammates.

Vesh continued to feel the wall as he ran around in the dark. Eventually, the wall disappeared, signaling the path had a turn in it. Vesh changed directions and continued to run, seeing a faint light in the distance.

"You just left them!" Ike yelled out mentally.

"I'm here to survive. I don't care about them." Vesh replied coldly.

"I do!"

"Well you aren't I charge here, now are you."

"You know what, screw this. I'm mobilizing my forces and attacking again."

"You'll kill us both if you do that!" The dark half said, panicked.

"Maybe, but maybe if I keep focusing my energy like I am, I can just take over quickly."

"I'm telling you, we'll die if you do that."

"I guess we'll just see."

Vesh then began to slow down as he finally reached an area blessed by light. He doubled over, panting and sat down with his back against the ground. After a minute of his break, he closed his eyes and relaxed. After another minute, he felt someone punch him across the face. The hit was so had that it knocked him over onto his side. The archer opened his eyes to see an extremely angry team FRST in front of him. "Nice to see you made it." He said to them.

"I hope you die in this place." Fira replied. "You just abandoned us. You're no better than the people we're here to kill. Good luck getting out of here." She said. Team FRST then began to walk down the hall as an alarm began to blare throughout the complex. The four students then took off as fast as they could.

"Were are under attack. This is not a drill." A voice over the speaker said. "All hands report to the south gate and be prepared to fight."

"Looks like reinforcements did come. I better not keep them waiting." Vesh said. He then stood up, only to feel his consciousness fade.

Ike's body was only limp for a second, until he caught himself from falling. "Alright, time to get out of here." Ike said to himself. "I doubt FRST will believe anything I tell them right now, so I'm on my own until reinforcements get to me. I better get moving."

The sounds of explosions and gunfire echoed through the halls as Ike ran. "Where the hell are my weapons?" He thought to himself. He then felt someone wrap their arm around his neck and something metal being pressed against his back.

"Who are you?" A voice asked. Four other people, all of which looked young, then circled him with their weapons trained on him.

"I'm Ike, Ike Mers." He replied. The four then lowered their weapons and he was released from the hold.

"Here's your weapons." One of the people said as he dug through a bag and returned Ichor, Nero, and his quiver to him.

"Thanks, but who are you people?" The archer asked.

"Team SHDW." One of the younger people said.

"And I'm Professor Bronson." The man who had put him in a choke hold said. "Team FRST has already made it to evac zone bravo, however enemy reinforcements have flooded that area. You'll have to exit out of the southern door and escape from evac point alpha. There are three other teams as well as professors in that area providing the distraction we needed to get in here, so you may to fight once we arrive. Are you able to run?"

"I think so." Ike replied.

"Good, then follow us out. Stay low and stay quiet. Let us do everything." Professor Bronson said. The five of them then began to run down the hall and slipped into a room, with Ike close behind.

Professor Bronson poked his head around a corner, before quickly retracting it back in. "Shit." He said.

"What?" Ike asked.

"This path is blocked off, we'll have to find another way around."

"No good." A member of team SHDW said from the other doorway.

"Why's that?" The professor asked.

"Enemies have blocked off this path too. They must have found out where we were and surrounded us."

"So what's the plan?" Blue asked.

"Well, because of you we can't simply hide. You aren't trained in stealth. We'll have to fight our way out. We'll start shooting down this hallway." The professor then pointed toward the door he was at. "And you break through enemy lines and run for the south entrance."

"What about you guys."

"Don't worry, we'll find a way out." A member of team SHDW said.

"You just get out of here. We'll catch a ride with on the Bullhead that took you here. Once you get out, just have the Bullhead take off, understood?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Here we go." The five of them then took positions by the door. "Three, two, one, go." The Professor whispered. One member of SHDW threw out a smoke bomb, blinding everyone in sight.

"Run!" The girl who threw the smoke bomb called out. Ike didn't hesitant to comply and sprinted out the door and through the smoke.

The sound of bullets smacking against the ground at his feet is what propelled Ike forward. He knew he had been shot through his right shoulder and nicked somewhere on his left side, but he continued to run. His aura was extremely low, meaning that any that was left was being used on just keeping him alive. Ike continued to run, until he reached an opening. As he ran into the clearing, he realized he was outside, but not yet to the evac zone. He could hear the sound of fighting close though.

The archer was now in an area still under construction, which he used to his advantage. The teen used stacks on concrete blocks and large tubes as cover as he continued to run. He then ran over to his right, where he found an elevator shaft. "Only one way to go he thought," before he jumped down.

The teen landed a story and a half down on the top of an elevator, which swayed slightly upon landing. He then jumped another story and a half down, reaching the bottom of the shaft, where he climbed out through the door. "Maybe I can get a quick break." The archer thought as he panted.

"I think he went down here!" The teen heard a man yell out.

"Or maybe not." Blue then began to sprint again through the still under construction halls of the building he was in. The sound of fighting was now close by as he sprinted back into the open air once more, to realize he was standing on a ledge. He looked down to see the professors and students of Beacon fighting off waves of enemies.

"Hey!" He called out to them. He successfully attracted the attention of his allies, but also his enemies, who began to fire at him.

Ike turned around and hide behind a wall in the building for cover. "Well look who didn't make it." Ike heard Vered say. He then turned and looked at the man, who had his whip in one hand and a pistol in the other. "So, do you want me to shoot ya, or just kill you with my favorite weapon?" He said as more of his pawns joined him in the room.

Ike stepped out onto the ledge to see the bullhead was lowering itself to his height. "I'd like to see you try." He replied with a smile.

"Oh that's…" The man was the cut off by the sound of the engines of the plane as the Bullhead leveled itself with the ledge.

The plane turned to the side, showing the open passenger bay door and single man standing inside of it, Professor Burns holding a sniper rifle. "Need a ride kid?" He asked. Ike instantly jumped onto the plane as the professor fired a shot at Vered, who quickly hide behind cover. "Call in for the other pilots to pick up the rest of the reinforcements and get us out of here." The man commanded.

"Yes sir." The pilot responded.

Burns then walked over to Ike, who was currently laying on the floor of the Bullhead. "How ya feelin kid?" He asked.

"I've had better days." Ike replied, before feeling his grip on his body start to fade. Vesh then took control of Ike's body once again.

The man laughed and said, "I bet you have. Just rest up and you'll be home in no time. It's good to have you back kid."

"It's good to be back." Vesh replied with a smile.

**-Back to Beacon-**

"Someone get me some help over here." Professor Burns called out as he helped Vesh out of the Bullhead. Being him first time since his adrenaline had gone away, Vesh felt the pain from the multiple wounds he had. Two medics soon arrived and helped Vesh laydown on a stretcher.

"So you made it out alive, huh? That's too bad." Fira said to him as he began being carted off.

"Nice to see you again too. Did any of your teammates get killed?" Vesh replied without a hint of care in his voice.

"Everyone was accounted for. Snow and Yuki are both in the infirmary. They'll both be fine, but I can't say the same for you."

"I'm sure the medics will be able to heal me just fine."

"I wouldn't be worried about your current injuries if I was you. Timber is even madder than I am, and he's far less stable. Have fun though." She then began to walk away from the evil teen. Ruby began to run over to Vesh's side, but Fira caught her arm before she got passed her. "Listen, I don't know what's up with your little boyfriend, but I doubt he actually cares about you are anyone who he calls his, "friends"".

"Why's that?" Red asked.

"He left me and my team to die on that mission, he pushed me into the arms of a Beowolf, and he was practically using us as meat shields to protect himself. He doesn't care about anyone but himself, and I wouldn't doubt for a second he'd sacrifice any of you to save himself. You seem like a sweet girl, so I'll give you some advice. Get as far away from that bastard as you can. He'll end up being the death of you." Fira then stormed off, anger radiating off of her.

Ruby wondered if what Fira told her was true, but quickly decided that if her boyfriend was okay.

As Vesh was taken to the infirmary, he slowly faded in and out of consciousness. Eventually, he completely complete passed out.

**-To Agartha-**

Vesh woke up sitting under the same tree as when he took control of Ike's body. "Why'd you have to abandon them in there?" Ike asked from the tree branch.

"Because I'm evil, that's what I do."

"What would happen if I killed you right now?" The good half asked.

"Nothing. I'd just take the place of one of my fragments and that fragment would then take my place."

"That's what I figured would happen." Ike replied.

"Seeing as I answered your question, answer one of mine."

"What's that?"

"Why do you care what happens to those people?"

"Because that's just the right thing to do. You care for others in hopes that they'll live on happily."

"Are you sure that's why?"

"What does that mean?"

"I mean that are you sure you're just being generous or are you expecting something in return. You know they say there's no such thing as a truly selfless act."

"I suppose that all depends on how you see the world. If you're a glass half empty or glass half full type of person."

After a small amount of silence, Vesh said, "You know we aren't so different from each other."

"Why's that?"

"We're both creatures of desire, only I desire power while you desire… something that I can't describe."

"I desire love, compassion, friends, people to fill the void that was left after James died."

"That's a noble cause, only not all noble causes are causes that succeed."

"I guess only time will tell."

"I suppose it will."

**-Back to the Real World-**

Ike opened his eyes to see that he had control of his body for the time being.

"Thank Monty you're okay!" Ruby said as she hugged Ike.

"Ow ow ow." He replied in pain.

"Oh, sorry." He apologized.

"It's okay. It's nice to see you too."

"How do you feel?" She asked.

"To be honest, I've felt better." He replied.

"I can imagine. Can you just promise me something?"

"What's that?"

"Please, don't do anything dangerous or stupid without me there."

Ike smiled and replied, "I'll try not to." Ruby the leaned in and gave her boyfriend a kiss. He then noticed that she looked like something was troubling her. "What's wrong?" He asked. Before he could hear a response, he felt himself losing control of his body.

Vesh then took bad control of the body, and heard Ruby ask, "Ike? Are you sure you're fine?"

"Oh, yes, don't worry about me. What were you saying? I didn't hear you."

"I'm kinda worried about something Fira told me."

"Ruby, whatever she told you, I promise it isn't true."

"Ike, she said that you practically tried to kill her and her team. She said that you're evil and that you're only looking out for yourself."

"Are you going to trust her over me? Ruby, trust me I'm not evil. I may have accidently bumped into them and things like that, but I never tried to kill her."

"Well, it's not just what she said that has me worried."

"Then what's worrying you?"

"No matter what you say, you've changed these past few days and not for the better. Everyone else on team RWBY and team JNPR have noticed it as well. We all just thought that maybe it was us just imagining things but it's hard to say that after hearing what Fira said."

"Ruby, I promise you that I'm going to change back to the way that I was, but you just have to wait until I can get rid of Vered." The archer said.

"Well, that's the thing. I'm worried that you won't change."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, Yang told me about the second person in your head. I really have to wonder, am I actually talking to you or am I talking to the other person?"

* * *

**Well that was a very long chapter. It was also very action packed, which is something I'm going to try to step away from. The next few chapters will hopefully have very little to no action, because I want to focus on more of the characters. Big thanks to my beta reader for pointing that out to me. Anyways, I have nothing else to say, so don't forget to leave a PM or send a review and have a nice day!**


	42. Chapter 17: Beginning of the End?

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm pretty good myself. I wen't up to the Niles Scream Park last weekend and that scared me to death, especially the clowns, I hate clowns. Anyways, I have nothing else to say, so enjoy!**

* * *

**-Last Time on Vengeance of a Brother-**

"Ruby, I promise you that I'm going to change back to the way that I was, but you just have to wait until I can get rid of Vered." The archer said.

"Well, that's the thing. I'm worried that you won't change."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, Yang told me about the second person in your head. I really have to wonder, am I actually talking to you or am I talking to the other person?"

**-This Time on Vengeance of a Brother-**

"Do you realize how crazy that sounds?" Vesh asked. Despite keeping a calm demeanor on the outside, he was panicking.

"I have to talk my way out of this. I'm still too badly injured to run or fight my way out of this. If she doesn't believe me here, then I won't have any control over what happens next." The evil half thought.

"Is it really though?" Ruby asked. "Look at yourself. Look at what you've been doing. You aren't the person you were when I first met you."

"That's because I wasn't being hunted when I first met you. I don't think you realize how serious our situation is."

"I do."

"Do you really though? I nearly died today! We aren't fighting mooks anymore that we can just cut down in a matter of seconds. This is someone who is trained to fight and kill who controls people that he's trained to fight and kill. He trained me to do the same thing and I was one of the weaker people in the organization! This isn't something that we can just laugh off and go about our lives! So yes, I'm going to change and yes I might be less pleasant, because I can't just be that happy go lucky kid anymore. I promise you, I'm that same person you met on our first day here and I'll always be that same person, you just have to trust me."

"I do trust you, but it's hard to deny the facts. You've changed and you've changed so much so quickly that I just can't accept the fact that you're the same person."

"Ruby, you know me better than anybody else in this world. I don't have my brother anymore, I don't have my family, all I have is you. I've changed because I worry about losing you to Vered. All I want to do is protect you. Just look at me. I'm still me, I'm still Ike. I don't have any proof that I'm still me, you just have to believe me." Vesh lied.

Ruby looked at the evil teen in the eyes, before sighing and hugging him. "I'm sorry I doubted you, I'm just worried. I don't want to lose you either."

"I know you don't." Vesh replied as he hugged her back. "It's okay, I know I've changed and I'm sorry." The archer said, putting up the façade of caring, while he was internally grinning, knowing he had won.

"Hey Ike." The girl said.

"Yes?"

"Can you please stop trying to track down Vered now?" Red asked as she ended the hug.

"You mean completely give up on him?"

"Well, no. I just wish you wouldn't put yourself in dangerous situations anymore. Like you said, Vered is extremely dangerous and so are the people he works with. You're going to end up getting yourself killed fighting him."

"Ruby, he has to pay. Not just for what he's been doing to me, for what he's been doing to me, but what he's been doing to everyone. You've never seen what's happened inside his shadowy castle, I have. He doesn't show compassion, he doesn't show love, he only trains people to kill. He makes them machines, takes away their will. I'm to not doing this for me, I'm doing this for everyone he's screwed over all these years. I'm doing this for the people who are still being brainwashed by him. I'm doing this for everyone who's in the same situation I was in, for everyone who thinks that they're doing justice by helping him. . He has to be brought justice"

"And he will be, just let someone else do it."

"No! If I don't make him pay, then what's everything I've done been for? For someone else to get the satisfaction of taking him down?"

"Is that what this is all about? Do you think bringing him down will feel any better if you're the one who puts him in prison or if someone else does?"

"Ruby, I don't think you understand. I don't plan on putting him into prison."

It didn't even take a second for Ruby to understand what Vesh had just said. "You're just going to kill him? What will that do? Will it make you feel any better?"

"I don't know. We'll just have to wait and find out."

"Ike, killing him won't make you feel any better. It'll just leave you with an empty feeling and feeling worse about yourself. Did you feel any better when you killed Weasel? No, you just became a shell of yourself. Just let this go, let someone else take over and let's move on with our lives." The girl said, verging on tears.

"Ruby, we don't live in a fairytale. We can't just ignore issues and pretend they don't exist. This is our job and killing is part of it. The real world isn't like a bedtime story, believe me. Eventually, you'll realize that some people don't deserve the right to live."

"Does life mean nothing to you?" The girl asked.

"Of course it does."

"Then how can you take it from someone so easily?" Red asked as a tear escaped from her eye.

"Ruby, the real world won't be kind to you. I hate to tell you that, but someday the illusion has to break. People will die, that's the way the world works. I don't like it any more than you do, but it will happen. Just, please don't cry." Vesh said, pretending to care about the girl.

"I know that's how the world works. I know your right, I… I… I just wish it didn't." Vesh then opened his arms as much as he could and wrapped them around the girl.

"I wish it didn't too." He lied. "I'm sorry, but I have to kill him. I have to end his reign of terror. I promise you, everything will be better with him gone."

However, Vesh's thoughts proved how he truly felt. "Yes Ruby, killing him will make me feel better about myself. Killing anyone who stands in my way will make me feel better about myself, and if you become one of those people, then I'll have no problem removing you from the situation either."

**-Later-**

Nora landed another hit on Jaune with her staff, sending the blonde teen flying backwards and past Vesh. "Would you get up?" Vesh hissed. It had been a few weeks since Vesh's failed mission to kill Vered and he was ready to start training once again.

"Sorry." Jaune said as he pushed himself back up.

Ren helped his friend back up to his feet and got ready to attack their enemies again. Glynda had decided it would be best to have team JNPR fight against one another, with another student helping each team. Vesh was chosen to help Jaune and Ren, while Yang was with Pyrrha and Nora. "Are you okay?" Pyrrha called out, concerned about her team leader.

"He's fine." Vesh replied, angry that his teammates weren't matching his expectations. "Stop worrying about your enemy and fight."

"Alright, sorry!" Pyrrha answered.

"That girl is insufferable." Vesh said to himself.

"What's the plan?" Ren asked.

"I don't know, why don't you ask team leader over here." Vesh replied.

"What if we… umm…" Jaune stammered.

"Are you kidding me?! Come on, this is your job!" Blue yelled.

"I'm thinking, just give me a second." The blonde replied.

"We won't have a second in the real world." Pyrrha then charged at Blue, only to her slice to be blocked. Vesh then sliced at Pyrrha's stomach, dropping her aura into the red. The Spartan then dropped to one knee, exhausted.

"Miss Nikos's aura has dropped into the red. She is now out." Glynda announced.

Vesh then ducked under a right hook from Yang and saw Pyrrha was returning to her feet. He then landed a kick to her stomach, sending her flying to the other end of the stage they were fighting on and dropping her aura even lower.

"Mr. Mers!" Glynda yelled out. "That was an illegal attack and you have disqualified your team! Team Nikos wins!" The professor said, furious.

"You okay?" Jaune asked Pyrrha as he helped her to her feet.

"Yes, I'll be okay." She replied.

"Opps." Vesh said as he walked past the two and off the stage.

"What was that!?" Yang yelled at Vesh as she returned to her seat in the audience behind him.

"It was a mistake. I saw someone I registered as an enemy, so I attacked. My bad."

"And that's why you made that sarcastic remark afterwards?" She asked.

"Tensions were high, I was a little mad about losing. Maybe if I had a better team I would've have made that mistake."

"Jaune was doing just fine." Pyrrha said as she returned to her seat.

"You should probably be in the infirmary, shouldn't you?"

"Your last attack didn't hurt me too much, I'll be fine."

"Maybe I didn't hit you hard enough." Vesh thought.

"You know, maybe it's a good thing you're supposed to work by yourself." Yellow said.

"And why's that?"

"You obviously don't care about the welfare of anyone in a battle with you, friend or foe."

"Maybe that's because I've never fought with a team before. Have you ever thought of that?"

"You've been here for months, you should've learned by now."

"Obviously I haven't, and maybe if I ever had better teammates I'd be able to learn."

"That still doesn't make up for hitting Pyrrha though." Jaune said.

"I said it was an accident." Blue said defending himself.

"I'm sure it was." The swordsman said. "Don't hit any of my teammates or my friends like that again, got that?"

"Is that a threat?" Vesh asked, as he stood up and stepped towards the blonde.

"What do you think it was?" Jaune replied, obviously angry, but Vesh picked up the hint of fear in his eyes. A look that told the archer the swordsman already regretted his decision.

"I think it was a weakling overstepping his bounds." Vesh said as he began walking up to the blonde. "I think it was someone talking who needs to be put in his place. Am I right?" The evil teen said, now face to face with the blonde.

"Please, both of you just sit down." Pyrrha said, pushing the two apart.

"I'm amazed you still have the strength you do."

"Ike, please just sit down." Ruby said, finally coming into the conversation.

"No, I think Jaune here finally has a little bit of confidence and he's become overconfident. Back when I worked for Vered, we used to beat the cockiness out of people."

"Ike, please, sit down." Pyrrha said once again.

Ike looked at the two in front of him, scoffed, turned around, and said, "If you need me I'll be in our room." The teen then walk passed the rest of his, "friends" and out the door.

"He's not going to get off that easy." Yang said as she began to follow him.

"Yang wait, just leave him…" Ruby said as her sister walked passed her and out the door. "alone."

"Maybe its best if we just leave him alone for a while." Pyrrha added.

"Maybe its best if he just left us alone forever." Jaune said bitterly.

Ruby just sighed and pondered following her sister and boyfriend outside.

"You think you can just walk out and be done with it?" Yang asked.

"That was the plan." Vesh replied boredly.

"You're not even you anymore, are you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Blue asked.

"You aren't Ike anymore, are you? You're the other person Ike told me about, aren't you?"

"What is it with you and Ruby bringing that up?" Vesh asked as he stopped walking.

"Because it's the truth."

"Look, people change, that's what happens. I've changed a bit, that's it."

"People don't change that much."

"They do in times of emergencies."

"Do you really think this is a time of emergency?"

"How is it not?" Vesh asked, obviously mad.

"Maybe because we aren't out fighting right now? Look you may be in this delusional world of worry, but nobody else is."

"Delusional world? I'm being hunted! I've taken a bullet for your sister!"

"Just because you can't handle yourself in a fight doesn't mean that the entire world is in crisis."

"Can't fight?! I'm strong enough to beat you!"

"I seriously doubt that." Yang replied.

"And why's that?"

"Because you got beat by me only a few minutes ago."

"Maybe if I would be able to use all my power instead of having to worry about this problem in my head I would be able to fight better!" The evil teen yelled, enraged.

"I don't think you could beat me if I gave you all of the advantages in the world."

"Just because that weakling Ike couldn't beat you in a fight doesn't mean I couldn't!" Vesh yelled back, not yet realizing what he had just said. "I'm nothing like that little hero, I'm far stronger!"

"Well that's odd." The brawler replied with a smile.

"What!?"

"I don't think you've ever referred to yourself as Ike."

"What do you…" Panic then washed over Vesh as his heart dropped into his stomach, realizing the mistake in his words. "So what, I changed how I talk. Plenty of people refer to themselves with their names. That one weird kid in history does it all the time."

"So you're just changing how you talk now?"

"Ya well… I uhh…"

"Damn it you moron!" Vesh screamed at himself in his head. "You let someone as stupid has her trick you."

"Hey guys." Ruby said as she approached. "Is everything alright?" She asked as she saw the mix of emotions on Vesh's face.

The archer then realized that Yang might have tricked him into revealing himself, but Ruby still believed he was Ike. "Just fine." Vesh replied as regained his calm demeanor. He then walked up to the Grimm Reaper and kissed her. "Yang had the same concerns you did, but I put them at ease, right?"

"Ruby, you have to listen to me." Yang said as she walked up to her sister. "He isn't Ike. We have to do something to stop him."

"Yang, we've already had this conversation. She believes me, right?" Vesh said.

"Ya, you were a bit… harsh in there though." Ruby said to Blue.

"I know and I'll apologize as soon as I see them again. I just felt that I was being ganged up on."

"Ruby, you have to listen to me." Yang said. "He told me he isn't Ike anymore!"

"You're being ridiculous. I'm still me." Vesh said with a smile. However, Yang only saw a smirk on his face.

"Yang, I had the same worry, but he's still Ike."

"You aren't listening!" Yellow said. "Look at him! Look at what he's done, what he's become! Can you honestly say he's still the same person?"

"Yang, I think you're just overreacting." Blue said as he wrapped an arm around Ruby.

"Don't touch her!" Yang yelled out as she pushed Vesh back.

"Yang calm down." Ruby said, worried.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were going to go off like this."

"No you aren't." The brawler said, hysteria in her eyes that had turned red.

"Yang, please, just calm down." Red said.

"Ruby, I promised to protect you and I'm going to do that. You have to believe me. When have I ever lied to you?"

Ruby looked at her sister to see the panic in her eyes. She knew Yang wasn't lying, but couldn't let Vesh know that. "Yang, I know that that is Ike. Nobody else. Just trust me on this, alright?" The younger sister, knowing Vesh was behind her and couldn't see her face, winked at her older sister.

Yang picked up on her sister's sign and played along. She sighed and said, "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Alright, I'll drop it then."

**-Later-**

"Alright, what are we going to do about him?" Yang asked her younger sister. The two were standing in an empty classroom, able to talk privately.

"I don't know, we have to tell Ozpin or somebody, right?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know. What if Ozpin doesn't believe us? It would just be our word against his."

"But there's two of us." Ruby replied.

"Ruby, I'm going to be honest, he scares me. If Ozpin doesn't believe us, then we might end up as his next targets."

"He wouldn't attack us here, would he?"

"I don't know and that's what worries me the most."

"Yang, I don't think we have any other option. Plus, he's had to have seen the changes in him too, right?"

"I just don't know."

"Yang, we have to. This isn't just for our safety, but everyone else's too. And if Ike is still alive in his head like we think he is, then this might be the only way we can help him."

The older sister sighed and said, "Ya, your right."

The two then began to walk out of the classroom and pushed open the door. However, they didn't know they had an unwelcomed eavesdropper in the room with them. "It looks like I've overstayed my welcome here." Vesh thought to himself.

* * *

**Big thanks to OmnimonAllDelete for his advice on this chapter. Also, I've been focusing a lot of Vesh recently and that'll end here soon and the main focus will be shifted to Ike, but that's all in the future. Anyways, Volume 3 is about to kick off, which means I'll try wrapping up this story arc and get onto the arc involved with Volume 3. I have nothing else to say, so don't forget to leave a PM and a review, that way I can talk to you. I'll see you all in the next chapter. Bye!**


	43. Chapter 18: With the Punches

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I've been better, but that's because I had my wisdom teeth removed yesterday. So, my mouth kinda hurts. Anyways, there's nothing new in my life, so enjoy!**

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**-Last Time on Vengeance of a Brother-**

"Alright, what are we going to do about him?" Yang asked her younger sister. The two were standing in an empty classroom, able to talk privately.

"I don't know, we have to tell Ozpin or somebody, right?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know. What if Ozpin doesn't believe us? It would just be our word against his."

"But there's two of us." Ruby replied.

"Ruby, I'm going to be honest, he scares me. If Ozpin doesn't believe us, then we might end up as his next targets."

"He wouldn't attack us here, would he?"

"I don't know and that's what worries me the most."

"Yang, I don't think we have any other option. Plus, he's had to have seen the changes in him too, right?"

"I just don't know."

"Yang, we have to. This isn't just for our safety, but everyone else's too. And if Ike is still alive in his head like we think he is, then this might be the only way we can help him."

The older sister sighed and said, "Ya, your right."

The two then began to walk out of the classroom and pushed open the door. However, they didn't know they had an unwelcomed eavesdropper in the room with them. "It looks like I've overstayed my welcome here." Vesh thought to himself.

**-This Time on Vengeance of a Brother-**

Vesh calmly opened the door to his room to see that only Weiss was inside, studying. "Hello, Ike." She said.

"Hey, Weiss." He replied as he grabbed a bag and began packing away ammo, arrows, dust, and clothing.

"What're you doing?" White asked confused as she looked up from her text book.

"Oh, Ozpin just met with me. Apparently he wants me to go out with a scout party to find Vered." Vesh lied.

"After what happened to you last time? Is he insane?"

"It is Ozpin, so probably, but he offered me the chance, he isn't making me do this."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" The heiress asked.

"No, but I have to do it."

"Team RWBY, please report to Professor Ozpin's Office immediately." Glynda's voice said over the intercom.

"Great, what did Yang do this time?" Weiss asked as she got up.

"Who knows." Blue replied.

"Every time that I finally get time to study she gets in trouble and we all get a lecture about discipline." White grumbled as she opened the door and closed it behind her.

"I don't have much time." Vesh thought to himself as he began packing quicker.

**-Earlier at Ozpin's Office-**

"Professor Ozpin." Ruby said as the sisters burst through the door to his office.

"Ahh, Miss Rose, Miss Xiao Long, how can I help you?"

"You two cannot simply burst into people's offices as you please!" Professor Goodwitch scolded, following the sisters into Ozpin's Office.

"Professor Goodwitch, I don't have a meeting for another hour and these two obviously have something important to say if they're willing to barge in so carelessly. Now, what is it you need?"

"Professor, we've become suspicious of Ike over the past few weeks and think there's something wrong with him." Yang said.

"And what exactly do you think is wrong with Mr. Mers?"

"We think that he… isn't… really…" Ruby said.

"Miss Rose, if you have something to say, say it. Otherwise I'll have to ask you to leave." Ozpin said.

"It's just that… uhh…" Red stammered.

"We don't think he's Ike." Yang said.

"Isn't himself?" The headmaster asked.

"We think that a separate personality has taken control of his body." Yellow continued.

"That's a very… odd claim." Ozpin said.

"Professor, we know this sounds strange, but we really need you to…" Ruby began saying, before the headmaster cut her off.

"What evidence do you have of this claim?"

"Well… none." The brawler said. "We only have our observations and our word. I managed to have him admit to not being Ike, but other than that we have no other evidence."

"So you expect me to simply believe you without any proof?" Ozpin asked. "You two realize it isn't the wisest of choices to barge into someone's office and start making outrageous claims against a fellow classmate without any proof, no?"

"Why would we attack one of our friends if we were lying?" Yellow asked.

"I don't know. People can be quite strange. However, I must asked, would you be willing to make this same claim in front of who we presume is Mr. Mers?"

"Of course." Yang replied, but Ruby didn't answer.

"Miss Rose?"

Ruby let out a long breath and said, "Yes."

"Very well. If you two have noticed the difference in Mr. Mers, then I'm certain your teammates have as well." Ozpin then pushed a button on his phone. "Professor Goodwitch."

"Yes, Professor Ozpin?" Glynda replied through the phone.

"Would you call the rest of team RWBY to my office?"

"Certainly." She replied. The intercom could then be heard being turned on out in the hall. "Team RWBY, please report to Professor Ozpin's Office immediately." She said.

"What did you do?" Weiss asked Yang as she walked into the office with Blake close behind.

"Nothing." Yang replied.

"Yes, because we haven't heard that every time we've walked into here." The Faunus said as she sat down in one of the seats in front of Ozpin's desk.

"Actually, Miss Xiao Long isn't in trouble, for once." Ozpin said. "We have a far more serious matter to discuss."

"Which is?" White asked.

"Tell me, have either of you noticed a difference in Mr. Mers?"

"He's become more hostile lately." Blake replied.

"He's outrageous! Everything he says is either passive aggressive or aggressive." The heiress answered.

"So you have noticed a change as well?" The headmaster asked.

"Yes." The monochrome duo replied together.

"Then tell me, would you agree that Mr. Mers is no longer the person you knew at the beginning of this year?"

"Yes." The black and white duo said, once again.

"So it appears Mr. Mers's alter ego isn't quite as intelligent as he thought." Ozpin said. He then pressed the button on his phone. "Professor Goodwitch, please call Mr. Mers into my office."

"Certainly, Professor Ozpin." The woman replied. The announcement quickly followed.

"Wait, what?" Ruby asked.

"You four are not the only ones who have noticed the change in Mr. Mers, I have as well. I've been suspicious of him for quite some time now. It wasn't until the night of the dance that my suspicions were confirmed and by the real Mr. Mers himself."

"Wait, you've talked to Ike?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, in fact you all most likely have as well. Tell me, have any of you noticed that Mr. Mers has suddenly fallen asleep, only to wake up mere moments later?"

"Ya." Yang said suspiciously.

"According to Mr. Mers, that is the shifting of control over his body."

"So you've known about this?" Yang asked.

"Why of course."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Blake asked.

"Mr. Mers and I agreed it would be for the best if you didn't know."

"Why?" Red asked.

"Tell me, what would any of you had done had I told you this information?" None of them answered. "I suspect you would accidently reveal that you all knew and Vesh would have ran."

"Vesh?" Weiss asked.

"That is what Mr. Mer's alternate personality has named himself. Continuing on what I was saying, Vesh would've ran. We would then be unable to monitor him and make sure that he wasn't harming anyone. That is why I sent team FRST out on the Vered mission and not you four. Had you four went, he may have taken the opportunity to injure you… or maybe worse."

"When did you expect to tell us all of this?" Weiss asked, obviously upset Ozpin had allowed a mad man to live with her.

"I wasn't quite sure. I considered telling you after the Vered mission with team FRST, considering the danger he put them in, but I decided against it. However, seeing as you all have become skeptical of him, I feel I should no longer hide the truth from you."

"So, what do we do now?" Red asked.

"Now, our main priority should be capturing him. We must do everything we can to help Mr. Mers defeat Vesh, however, seeing as Mr. Mers has yet to report here, I can only assume he already knows that his cover has been blown."

"Then we have to put the school on high alert, right?" Yang asked.

"Miss Xiao Long, do you know the levels of panic that could spread through the school by doing that? On top of that, students might get injured or killed. You four along with Professor Goodwitch and Professor Port are to fan our around the school and find Vesh's location. If you find him, do not engage him. You are to report his location to your teammates and the Professors and wait to attack until your teammates as well as the Professors have arrived, is that understood?"

"Yes, sir." The four of them replied.

"Excellent. Though you may have defeated him in combat in class, I assure you, Vesh is far stronger than he has led you all on to believe. Please, be cautious. And above all, remember that he may look like your friend, but he is anything but."

**-Meanwhile-**

"Alright, I have ammo, food, clothes, dust, and my weapons. Do I need anything else?" Vesh said to himself.

"Mr. Mers, report to Professor Ozpin's office immediately." Glynda said over the intercom.

"Looks like I'm out of time." Vesh said to himself. He then threw his over his shoulder and walked out into the hall.

The teen kept his head down and his eyes up as he walked through the halls. Blue was smart enough to wear his uniform to be able to blend in with the rest of the students. He turned a corner to see Yang rush around the corner down the hall. Vesh quickly turned around and hide out of sight from the blonde. Yellow then turned down another hallway and continued her search for Vesh. "That was close." Blue said to himself.

Eventually, Vesh was able to exit out of the building and reach the landing pad in front of the school. "Alright, the bullhead should be here in a few minutes. All I have to do is make sure I don't get seen until then."

"Ike?" A girl's voice said from behind him.

"Damnit it." The archer turned around to see Ruby behind him. "Oh, hey Ruby, what's up?"

"You're leaving Beacon, aren't you?"

"Well, ya. I was gonna go out and do some shopping in Vale. Want to come with?"

"Don't lie to me!" Red yelled.

"What? I'm not lying." Vesh replied.

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Is what Ozpin said true?"

"What did Ozpin tell you?" Vesh asked. He knew that his cover was blow and he was only trying to buy time for himself. However, he had both his hands resting behind his head and his fingers dangerously close to Aeolus and an arrow.

"That you aren't Ike." The girl said.

"Ruby, I thought we already had this discussion."

"We did and you lied."

"Come on, who're you going to believe, me or Ozpin?"

"Ozpin." The girl replied simply.

"Really? And I can't sway you from that?"

"No." Ruby replied.

Vesh then began to laugh at the girl. "So you've finally stopped trusting me, huh? It took you long enough."

"What?"

"You figured it out. Congrats! It only took you a few months. You really are about as stupid and as naïve as you look." Anger welled in Ruby and it was obvious. "Oh, what are you upset now? Why don't you pull out your little gun there and shoot me then?" Vesh waited for her to do something, but she didn't. "What, what's wrong? Don't want to shoot me? Is it because you can't bring yourself to hurt me, just because I look like your boyfriend?"

"No." Red said.

"Then go ahead, fight me, hit me, kill me." Blue replied. "You can't and I know you can't. You know you can't. You're weak, just like the rest of the people in your race."

"I'm not weak." Ruby replied.

"Do you really think that? Why, because you drink milk? You're a child, a child who couldn't fight me now and couldn't fight me ever."

"That's not true!"

"Then fight me. Pull out your little scythe and prove it." Ruby still didn't reach for her weapon. "Exactly, your too weak, too scared to fight me. You're just a child, now why don't you just run along and go play." Ruby still didn't move. "Why don't you just pick a side already?" Vesh asked.

"Pick a side?"

"Yes, there are only two types of people in this world. Those who can fight and those who can't. You, obviously can't. You're weak and soft. You talk about fighting for good and justice, but there is no justice in fighting. It's the people who can fight that make change, but to do that you have to be willing to become the monsters you're fighting. The ones who can fight become no better than me. So stop pretending to be strong."

"Stop talking!" The girl yelled.

"You can't do anything. You're too scared to risk you're innocence." The sound of a bullhead approaching then filled the air. "Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to get on this bullhead and leave. Okay?"

Vesh turned around and began walking towards where the bullhead would land. "No." Ruby said.

"What was that?" Vesh asked as he stopped and turned around.

"I said, no!" Ruby then unsheathed her scythe and charged at the archer.

* * *

**It's all kicking off now! I have nothing to really say about this chapter, but RWBY Volume 3 is released tomorrow! I'm super excited and I'm sure you all are too. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you enjoy the new volume of RWBY. As always, don't forget to leave me a review or a PM so I can read your feedback and talk to you. Bye!**


	44. Chapter 19: Leap of Faith

**Happy Halloween everyone! How are you all today? I'm doing pretty good myself, because the new episodes of RWBY have been coming out. I'm super excited to see everything that's going to happen in this volume. I've actually been on a writing spree lately and I'm already sending the next chapter to Omnimon for review, so hopefully that'll be up soon. Anyways, I have nothing else to say, so I'll see you at the bottom.**

* * *

**-Last Time on Vengeance of a Brother-**

The sound of a bullhead approaching then filled the air. "Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to get on this bullhead and leave. Okay?"

Vesh turned around and began walking towards where the bullhead would land. "No." Ruby said.

"What was that?" Vesh asked as he stopped and turned around.

"I said, no!" Ruby then unsheathed her scythe and charged at the archer

**-This Time on Vengeance of a Brother-**

Ruby fired behind her, propelling her forward towards Vesh. This also caused the rest of the students in the area to quickly scatter. The pilot of the bullhead must've seen then fight begin as well, as the plane quickly changed course from landing. She then twisted and sliced at the evil teen. Vesh dodged backwards, avoiding the girl. "So you're going to fight?" He asked, but received no reply. "Good, I was worried this was going to be boring."

Red then slashed at Vesh once again, who rolled to the side and drew his bow and notched an arrow. He then fired at the girl, who spun her weapon, deflecting the arrow. "Don't think this is going to be easy." She replied.

"I'm hoping it won't be." Vesh said, as he stopped focusing on the fight in his head, weakening his hold on his war against Ike.

**-Into Ike's Head-**

The blue haired teen was relaxing inside his room, listening to music when his brother burst through the door. "Ike!" He said.

"I swear to Monty James, if you're breaking in here to tell me that pancakes are on sale in the cafeteria again, I'm going to throw you out my window." Ike replied.

"No, I'm not here to tell you that, but pancakes are on sale again. Also, there's no way you could throw me out that window. But, we think Vesh isn't focusing on keeping control in here right now. The Grimm are getting slow and sloppy again." James said.

Ike sprung to his feet and began collecting his weapons. "Start mobilizing anyone we can. We aren't far from taking back all the sectors and I'd love to take the last one soon."

"Will do." The older brother said as he ran out of the room and back down the halls.

Ike then looked at the picture of him and Ruby that he had sitting on the end table near his bed. "I'll be back soon. I promise." He said, before grabbing Aeolus and leaving.

**-Back Outside-**

"Oh, come on. You can do better than that." Vesh said as Ruby swung her scythe and missed. She then fired a shot and spun her weapon back around herself and towards Vesh. The evil teen blocked the attack, knocking Ruby off balance and leaving her open for an easy hit. Vesh capitalized by sweeping her legs out from under her. As she fell, she received a roundhouse kick to the stomach, sending her flying into a nearby tree. The girl then looked up to see an arrow fly past her head and stick into the tree. "Hmm, I must be a bit off today. That should've been an easy shot." Vesh said to himself. "Hey, Red. Do yourself a favor and just stay down. I doubt Ike will be too happy with me killing you."

Ruby then returned to her feet but did so slowly. "I'm going to beat you. I won't lose. I have to, to save Ike." She then charged once again, only to have her attack miss again and to be sent tumbling by another kick.

"That's very touching, but you're too weak to win here. Sorry girly, but this fairytale doesn't end with the hero winning." Vesh then turned around and began walking away, looking for a new way to leave Beacon, after seeing that his escape plan had to be abandoned.

"Where do you think you're going?" Yang asked from behind him. Vesh then turned around to see that Ruby's reinforcements had arrived. Weiss was helping Ruby back to her feet, Blake was reloading her pistol, Glynda was readying herself to fight, and in the middle of them all stood Yang, whose hair looked like it was on fire and her eyes blazed red with hatred.

"Oh, hello." Vesh said. "I was just leaving, if you don't mind." He said, as he took one step forward, only for the ground to raise up and form a wall, blocking his path.

The evil teen turned around to see Glynda holding her riding crop up. "I don't think you'll be going anywhere." She said. Goodwitch then pushed her glasses up higher on her nose, before twisting her riding crop. The wall of earth then began to form a spire, which was then slammed into the ground with the intent to hit Vesh.

Dust from the ground kicked up everywhere, blocking everyone's sight. As the dust settled, Vesh landed from his jump that he used to avoid Glynda's attack. He wasted no time, by jumping into the air and landing a kick on Weiss. "So, I guess we won't be talking our issues out, will we?"

Yang then charged at him, leading with a right hook, which he dodged with a backwards handspring. As his feet went back, his right one connected to Yang's jaw, sending her into the air. He drew Ichor and Nero, ready to attack her as she fell, but Glynda reformed the earth from the spire to form a wall above the girl. Yellow flipped in the air, planted her feet on the floating wall, and then pushed off. Yang smashed back into the ground, sending a fiery shockwave through the ground, which pushed Vesh backwards. "If I can take the runts by themselves, they can't beat me, but fighting them all at once could be bad. There's no point in fighting Goodwitch, she's too strong for me to take down by myself." Vesh thought.

He then noticed that he had fallen for the same trap the Nevermore had during initiation. Ruby was currently pulled back like an arrow with Blake's ribbon being the string. Weiss, using a glyph to hold her in position, then let the youngest girl fly. "Really?" Vesh thought as he rolled to the side, letting the girl rocket past him.

"That's old stuff." He said, before looking up to see five rock spires already formed above him. Ruby had been a distraction for Glynda's attack. The Huntress let the spires plummet towards him. Vesh jumped backwards, dodging the first one and rolled to the left to dodge the second. He then jumped up and dodged the third and jumped off the fourth one as it approached him. However, Yang then jumped into the air and landed a solid punch on him, while he was distracted, not only hurting him from the punch but sending him into the fifth spire.

Vesh then smacked against the ground, kicking up dust around him. The barrage wasn't finished yet, as Blake then tossed her pistol to Yang, who caught it. Weiss then froze the ground around Vesh, making it difficult for him to move. Yang spun one end of Gamble Shroud, spinning Blake around in a circle. Yellow then released her teammate, sending Blake towards Vesh. The evil teen dove to the ground, barely avoiding the attack from the Faunus, but was sent flying upwards from Glynda pushing up the ground below him. Weiss then glided across the ground and stabbed into Vesh, sending him tumbling backwards.

Vesh pushed himself back up to his feet right as Blake attacked once again, this time by herself. Vesh slashed through her, only to realize that it was a clone. She then unleashed a barrage of her own attacks, only for them to be deflected by Blue. Vesh landed an overhead slash, only for his attack to phase through once again as Blake jumped back with a backflip and landed next to her teammates and Goodwitch once again. "Had enough?" Weiss asked.

"Is that the best you got?" Vesh asked through a wicked grin. "You hardly even… even…" His vision then began to blur and he dropped down to one knee.

"No, not now." He thought, right as he lost control of the body and Ike took over.

Ike stood back up and felt pain surging through his body. "Guys?" He asked as he looked up at his friends. "What's going on?" He asked.

"Ike?" Ruby asked as she put away her weapon and tried running up towards her boyfriend, but Yang then stopped her.

"Don't trust him." Yang said.

"Don't trust me? What?" Ike asked.

"Ike, is that the real you?" Red asked.

"Yes, of course. Ozpin told you about Vesh, didn't he? Look, I know I have a lot of things to explain, but just listen to me now…"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Mers, but we can't do that." Glynda said. "It's too risky."

"No, I promise it's really me."

"And that's what Vesh has been telling us this entire time." Blake said.

"I know, I'm sorry. I should've told you all, but I didn't want to worry you. Just, please believe me now."

Ruby looked between Ike and her sister, before bowing her head. "Ike, if that's really you, I'm sorry." She then drew her weapon again.

"Mr. Mers, you're going to have to come with us." Glynda said.

"What are you going to do?" The archer asked.

"We'll make sure that you're imprisoned and can't harm anyone until we can confirm that it is truly you and not someone else." Professor Goodwitch said.

"No, you can't do that. If you do, then he'll focus too much on keeping control of my body and I won't be able to take my back control." Ike protested.

"I'm sorry, but this is all we can do." Glynda said. "You can either come with us, or we can take you by force."

"I… I can't. I can't go with you, I'm sorry." The archer said.

"Very well." Glynda replied. She then formed the spires once again and launched them at Ike.

"I can't fight, but I can't stay here." Ike thought. He then began to dodge the attacks from Glynda, only to receive a hard punch to the chest from Yang, which sent him tumbling backwards. "I have to get out of here." He thought.

Ike then reached for his last volatile ice arrow, aimed for the space between himself and his friends, and fired.

A giant wall of ice blocked the only path between Ike and his friends, which he needed for his escape. Port then arrived at the scene, out of breath, panting, and doubled over. "Alright, it is time for us to prove our strength in combat!" He announced.

"He's moving towards the Emerald Forest." Glynda said.

"We'll have to move through the school to get there." Yang added.

"Then go! We can't let him get away." Goodwitch replied. Ruby activated her semblance and bolted away, pulling further ahead of the others.

"Very good, the chase continues!" Port then returned to a standing position and began jogging after the others.

Ike arrived at the cliffs above the Emerald Forest, out of breath and doubled over. "Now what, genius?" He asked himself.

"Going somewhere?" Ozpin asked as he walked up to the teen.

"Ozpin! Look, I need help. I… I just don't know what to do. Glynda is telling me to come with her, but if I do that, then it's harder for me to take control of my body, but I don't want anyone getting hurt."

"And you assume I have the answer to your question?"

"Well, ya. You always seem to know what to do."

"While I appreciate the faith you put in me, I must admit, I don't have the slightest idea on what to do." The headmaster said as he took a sip of his ever present coffee.

"Didn't you order Glynda and team RWBY to come and find me though?"

"Yes, I did."

"But you didn't have a plan?"

"No, I have many plans. I planned on Vesh escaping, I planned on us capturing him, I planned on many different scenarios, but I simply don't know which the best course of action is."

"Then, how am I supposed to know if you don't?"

Ozpin then walked past the teen and looked out at the ocean of trees. "Mr. Mers, when I first met you, do you know what I saw?"

"No."

"I saw a vast amount of potential in a young man that had seen the world for what it is. I saw a young man who could make an impact on the world. I saw a young man that was destined for great things. Yet, here you are asking me to make your decisions for you. Your life is your, your choices are yours to make, your mistakes are yours to face. However, I know that what you will choose to do, you choose because you think it is in the best interest of those you care about."

"But, what if I choose wrong?" Ike asked as he stood next to the headmaster.

"Then you choose wrong. Nobody can see into the future, no matter how wise they may be. You can only hope that you make the correct choice and clean up the mess that is left behind."

"Then, what's the right choice here?"

Ozpin then smirked and replied, "You really haven't changed have you?"

"What?"

"Everything I tell you just goes in one ear and out the other. Just like how my lecture at the beginning of this year did." Ozpin then turned around and began walking back towards Beacon. "It is time for you to make your own decisions in life. You've taken orders from others for too long now."

Ike just stood there and looked out at the sea of green, thinking about what Ozpin had told him. He then make his choice and began walking towards the launching pads on the ground. "Stop." He heard the voice of Ruby say.

The archer turned to see her standing at the edge of the woods at the top of the hill. The wind blew the hood of her cloak off her head, showing her big silver eyes. "Oh, hey Ruby." Ike said. "What's up?"

"You need to come with me, now. Ike, if that is you, then this is the best thig you can do."

"Ruby, I know you believe that is, I know you really do, but leaving with you isn't the best thing I can do now."

"But, Ozpin and Glynda…"

"Ruby, I need you to have faith in me, okay?" He said as he began walking up to her. "Just, trust me."

Ruby didn't say anything for a second, but then said, "Alright. I'll trust you. Just, please come back."

"I promise." Ike replied. He then kissed the girl and walked up towards the launch pad. "Bye Ruby. I'll be back, hopefully soon." He then stepped onto it, letting himself be flung into the Emerald Forest.

"Bye Ike." She replied.

Glynda and the rest of team RWBY then arrived at the cliff in time to see Ike disappear into the vastness of the trees below. "He got away, didn't he?" Glynda asked.

"Ya, he did." Ruby replied.

Glynda then sighed and said, "Very well. I'll set up a search party to look for him tomorrow, but it's getting dark and it'll be too risky to start searching tonight. Get back to your dorms and get some rest, it's been a long day."

"Come on Ruby." Yang said as WBY began to leave.

However, Ruby only stood on the cliff and looked out to where her boyfriend was just launched to. "Please, don't break that promise."

* * *

**Well, there goes Vesh. What will happen next? I know, because for once I have a plan on where I'm taking this story. Anyways, I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter, and I don't really have anything to say about the story. So, enjoy Halloween and go out and eat some candy. Don't forget to leave a review or PM me so I can hear you feedback and talk to you. I'll see you next time, bye!**


	45. Chapter 20: The Bonds We Share

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm pretty good myself. Nothing has really changed in my life, so I'll see you at the bottom.**

* * *

Ike was laying in the grass, looking up at the clouds as they rolled past him, and listening to music through his headphones. He then looked over to his side to see nobody lying next to him, something that he hadn't experienced ever since he met Ruby. The archer sighed and closed his eyes, letting his thoughts drift wherever they wanted. "Remember when Ruby choked on that grape?" He thought to himself.

"Oh ya, that was really funny." He replied to himself in his head.

"It's always funny after someone almost dies. You were freaking out when it happened though."

"Ya, thank Monty that girl knew the Heimlich maneuver."

"Really. What was her name again?"

"I don't know, like Heather or something."

"No, I remember it reminded me of the color."

"Hazel?"

"Yes! Hazel! I'll have to thank her again once I get out of here."

"You mean if you get out of here?"

"No, I can't lose. I have to get out of here, I have too much unfinished business and too many people I care about to lose here."

Memories of him and Ruby then began to flash through his head as he relaxed. Their first kiss, their first date, the day he took a bullet for her, waking up and seeing her sleeping face. "I just wish she was here." He said out loud.

"Daydreaming again?" A woman said.

"Gahhh!" Ike yelled out, surprised, as his eyes flashed open and he scrambled to return to his feet. The teen eventually stood up and readied his weapon, before noticing it was Summer talking to him.

"That was really coordinated, you know that?"

"Shut up and don't scare me like that."

"Come on, it was kind of funny." Summer replied.

"Okay, I may have gotten a little… flustered."

"A little? You should've seen yourself scrambling. You were like a Nevermore with its head cut off."

"That's a little gruesome."

"I suppose it is." The woman then shrugged. "Oh well."

"So what's up?"

"Oh nothing really, I saw you on the ground and decided to wake you up and tell you that your brother was looking for you."

"Why's he looking for me?"

"Who knows. He can be more scatterbrained that Rideat at times."

"He, that's not… ehh, who am I kidding he can be out there at times."

"Ya, you two are a lot alike that way." Summer said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know what it means. But, there is a reason I came to see you other than for your brother."

"And that is?"

"Well, I want to know about Ruby."

"I've already told you about Ruby and Yang and everything." Ike replied, somewhat confused.

"I know, but you've seen her since then. I want to know everything you can possible tell me."

"I'm sorry, but I never have a lot of time with her. There's not a lot I can tell you about."

Summer sighed and said, "I figured you'd say that."

"Sorry, Summer."

"It's fine. It's not your fault." She replied. "You know, I never really wanted Ruby or Yang to become a Huntress."

"Really?" Ike asked.

"I just… didn't want them wasting their life in vain like I did."

"What do you mean by that? Don't Hunters and Huntresses fight for the good of the world?"

"They do, but that's really all you get to do."

"What do you mean?"

"It was always so hard to do anything other than fight as a Huntress. I wouldn't have even married if Ruby's father wasn't on the same team as me. And then trying to raise children while going out on missions and having to leave for emergencies was almost too much to handle. I just wish they would've chosen a simpler life that they could've enjoyed with a family." The woman then looked happily at the teen. "Then again, had she done that, Ruby never would've met you."

"Destiny's weird like that."

"It really is."

"Did I ever tell you why Ruby wanted to become a Huntress?" The archer asked.

"No, you didn't."

"She wanted to live in a fairytale like world. She wanted to be the hero who saved the day and made life better for everything."

"If she wanted to do that, then she should've became a police officer." Summer said with a smile.

"She said being a Huntress would be more romantic."

Summer laughed, know that was exactly the kind of person Ruby was. "I'm going to go check up on Dakota and see how the troops are doing."

"Alright. If you see James tell him I'll be here."

"Will do, General." She replied with a mock salute, before turning around and walking away.

Ike continued to relax, until a shadow covered over his closed eyes. The teen opened up to see his brother leaning over him with a goofy smile on his face. The older brother said something, but Ike's music made it impossible for him to hear whatever his brother had said. The teen popped the headphones off his head and said, "Yes?"

"What ya up to?" James asked.

"Nothing really, just laying around."

"Well then, you want to go into town for a little while?"

"What for?" The blue haired boy said as he sat up.

"I wanted to take a walk around memory lane."

"Memory Lane just has a bunch of shops selling picture frames."

"No, not Memory Lane, memory lane. You know, like going back to some spots from our past."

"Please, I feel like I've been living in memory lane for months now."

"Well, you kinda have, but we haven't actually gotten to see anything special. We've been so focused on fighting Vesh that we haven't had time to just relax."

"What makes you think we have time now?" Ike asked.

"Well, we have Dakota, Summer, and Zedong to watch over everyone and direct our war path."

"I guess you have a point." The archer said. "Alright, where're we going?"

"How about we go home first?"

**-To the Mers House-**

"Well, here we are." James said as the two walked up to the small house that stood on the edge of Vale. The house was well kept, the yard around it wasn't big but not small at the same time, and a single tree stood in the front yard.

"It's like something out of a suburban dream, isn't it?" Ike asked.

"Ya, it is. How much do you remember about being here?" James asked.

"I suppose not a lot. I was only seven when we left. I've spent most of my life working with Vered."

"You'd be amazed at how hard mom always worked to make sure the house was in perfect shape, even though only a few people ever stopped by."

"I do remember that." The younger of the two said. "I remember her always running around the house and cleaning things. Then there was one day that you spilled orange juice on the carpet."

"I almost forgot about that. She was furious when that happened."

"I thought she was going to have an aneurism."

"Then there was the time we started a fire in the living room."

"We almost died in that!" Ike said.

"Ya, it wouldn't have been the living room if we did, would it?" James joked.

"Shut up." Blue replied happily. "Do you remember when we tried building a tree house?"

"Ya, we spent all day on that, until dad got home and built it for us."

After a brief silence, Ike asked, "Do you remember much about dad?"

"Well, ya. I remember a lot about dad." James said.

"But do you remember anything about dad that was really him?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we didn't know the actual Reef Mers for most of our lives. It wasn't until I was thirteen that we learned what he actually did for a living. So, how much of what we remember about him was really him and how much was just a front?"

"I think everything we remember was really him. I just think he kept us away from his work for a reason. I don't think he was in a kind of business you bring home."

"I don't know, it's just hard to trust him knowing that he'd lied to us for so long."

"Ya, I get it. Come on, let's go somewhere else. Dad's gonna get home soon and wonder why there's two random guys standing around his house."

The two then walked away from the house and back towards Vale. As they went, Ike past by his dad, back on him way home from work. However, he did notice something that caught his eye. It was a bow, resting on his back. Before Ike could get a good look, his father turned the corner and continued to walk home.

**-To the Snowy Forest-**

"Why'd you bring me here?" Ike asked.

"Come on, you don't remember running through here playing tag and everything?" James asked.

"No, I do, but… I have to show you something." He said.

The two walked through the forest, before arriving at the edge of the cliff. Sat there was James's grave, his hat resting on the corner. "Oh." Was all he said.

"Ya, I figured you'd want to be buried some place familiar, some place that would remind you of better times."

"Well, you're right." James said as he wiped away a tear. "You picked a good spot."

"Thanks."

The two stood in silence, just looking at the solemn marker. "I'm sorry." The older of the two said.

"For what?"

"For leaving you. I was reckless and stupid. It's my fault you're all alone now. I shouldn't have ever brought you to Vered and everything."

"James, nothing that happened was your fault. You know that, right?"

"I know, but had I just been more careful or something, maybe things would've changed."

"And then what?" Ike asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what would've happened had you lived?"

"I guess I never really thought of it."

"I can tell you what would've happened. We would've gone back to Vered and kept doing what we were doing. Nothing would've changed, but when you died, I realized I couldn't keep working for him. I realized that I wasn't a kid anymore and that I didn't need him to stand on my own two feet. Everything happens for a reason and in a way, you dying saved me. It motivated me to leave Vered and make my life better. That happened because of you."

"Nobody really ever thinks of someone's as something that could help someone else, do they?" The older of the two asked.

"No, not really. Thanks James."

The two stood in a comfortable silence for a while, before Ike said, "You know the weird thing about all of this?"

"What's that?"

"If you walk a few hundred feet to our right, you'll find Sumer's grave."

"Destiny's weird like that, huh? Come on, let's go."

"Where to now?"

"Back to Beacon, we have a fight to win." The older brother said.

"What about being able to take time off and everything?"

"That was me being selfish and wanting some time with my brother, but we have a fight to win. You have people in the real world you need to see again." James then began to walk away.

"Wait, while that's a great idea, we have to organize our troops to get ready for a single attack. These fights are too hard to be able to take multiple targets at once."

"Yes, but I've been thinking and I have an idea." James said.

"And what's that idea?"

"Well, Vesh weakens inside here when he has to fight out in the real world, right?"

"Ya, so?"

"So, what about if you get into a big fight out there and then shift control back over to Vesh. Then, he'd be forced to focus on fighting in the real world and we'd have a chance at taking down a lot of targets. We just have to attack all of our targets at once and kill all the fragments of Vesh all at once."

Ike's face lit up when he heard his brother's idea. "I think that might be the smartest thing you've ever said."

"I know, I'm a genius."

"But I'll need to find some way of getting him into a big enough fight while I'm in control."

"Don't worry, those kinds of things seem to work themselves out."

"I certainly hope so."

* * *

**Well, we're getting close to the end now. I only have a few more chapters planned for this arc, and then we'll move onto Volume three. Speaking of Volume three, I'm probably going to need OCs for fights, so if you have an OC, PM me a description so I can use them in a fight. Anyways, there's no other big news for the story, so don't forget to PM me and leave a review, so I can talk to you and read your feedback. I'll see you in the next chapter. Bye!**


	46. Chapter 21: Another Day

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm not that bad, myself. I changed my major in college though. I'm now an animation major! Yay! I just thought I'd be happier working as an animator. Plus, wouldn't it be cool to work at RT? That's a long shot though. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"What's the plan, boss?" Dakota asked Ike as she walked into the makeshift war room that he had built in one of Beacon's empty classrooms. A few of Beacon's headmasters sat a table, along with Zedong, Summer, Rideat, and James.

"We're launching a fully assault on sector 84." He said as he pulled up the virtual map on the table. Dakota then took her normal seat between Zedong and James.

"Really? We aren't doing an attack on multiple sectors?" Dakota asked.

"It's too dangerous." Summer replied.

"We're afraid of large amounts of casualties if we launched multiple attacks all at once." Zedong informed the Huntress.

"But, we do have a plan to liberate many sectors all at once." James said.

"But, Ike and James have wanted to wait to tell us about what this plan was until everyone was here." One of the headmasters said. "So, can you please inform us of what this master plan is?"

"The plan is to have Ike to bring himself into danger once he's inside the real world." James said.

"The idea is that if I put myself into danger and then Vesh takes control again, he'll be forced to focus his strength on fighting in the real world and weakening his hold on this one." Ike added.

"We can then launch an attack on multiple sectors at the same time and hopefully clear out most of the rest of the areas." James finished.

"But how will you be getting yourself into danger?" One of the headmasters asked.

"That's the issue, we may have to adapt to certain situations. It's uncertain if Ike can actually get into a big enough fight for Vesh to be forced to use his full strength." The older of the two brothers said.

"Also, we have to worry about Vesh simply running away from the fight." The archer added. "Therefore, we may have to clear multiple sectors before our plan succeeds. Once the strike team clears a sector, you'll have to reach the next one quickly that way you'll be ready to clear the next if need be."

"Isn't that a bit dangerous? Our auras will have already been lowered by the first fight and we'll be charging blindly into a second one." Dakota pointed out.

"Yes, but if we don't act quickly then Vesh might have the chance to find a safe haven for himself and focus only on the war in here." James retorted.

"And if he does that, then it's unlikely we can't clear sectors without heavy casualties."

"But how will we know if you've gotten into a big enough crisis that Vesh will have to focus his strength?" Zedong asked.

"That's another somewhat impromptu thing." Blue said. "I'll be able to tell you if I've gotten into a fight, but not how much danger Vesh is in. So, once we attack the second sector, we'll have to judge how strong the enemy is. If they're sloppy, slow, and stupid, we can split the strike team into different teams to attack other sectors. However, we'll have to defeat all of the fragments of Vesh at the same time."

"How many sectors are you planning on attacking?" Summer asked.

"Including sector 84, fifteen." James said.

"So you plan on clearing every sector except for the last one?" One of the headmasters asked.

"Pretty much." The older Mers replied.

"Well then, just tell me who I'm meant to be killing and I'll go for it." Rideat said with a goofy smile.

"While it does sound reckless we might have to take chances to win." Zedong said.

"I suppose this is the only plan we have, so I'll approve." One of the headmasters said. The rest of the group agreed to follow the plan.

"Good, we'll launch our attack tomorrow. See you all then." Ike said, before walking up to the doors and pushing it open.

**-Later-**

Ike sat on the edge of a balcony, letting his feet dangle of the edge, reminding himself of his past. "You know, a while ago, you were in this same spot." He thought, beginning his internal conversation.

"What, stuck in my head wishing I was somewhere else?"

"No, sitting out on this balcony, talking to yourself."

"Is this really the same balcony?"

"Yep. Did you not notice that?"

"No, I guess I just came here instinctively."

"Well, it's a nice reminder of better times. The sun was even setting back then."

"I suppose it was. That was only a few months ago, but it feels like years with everything that's happened. Those first days of school seem so distant now."

After a brief moment of taking in the environment, Ike looked over to his side to see nobody there. "You just made yourself sad, didn't you?" Summer asked the teen as she walked out onto the balcony.

"Yep." Ike replied.

"So how'd you do that?" She asked as she sat down next to him.

"Just remembering better days."

"So thinking about Ruby?"

"Pretty much."

Summer then smiled and looked out at the sun. "You know, that's what I like most about you."

"What is?" The archer asked as he looked over at the cloaked woman.

"You care some much about everyone. You obviously make the attack plans you do to try to avoid casualties and look at yourself right now. You're sitting out here alone just wishing you could be with your friends and the people you care about."

"I just don't like the thought of not being able to protect them. They're all I really have, you know."

"Ya, I was the same way about Ruby. You know, her uncle's a lot like you in that way."

"Who, Qrow?"

"Ya, he puts up a hard exterior, but he'd do anything to protect her and Yang. You're like him in that way, you just don't put up the hard shell."

"I actually haven't met Qrow. Ruby talks about him, but I've never actually seen him face to face."

"I doubt that'll stay the same for long." Summer said.

"You know what I've been wondering?" Ike asked as the sun continued to sink in the sky.

"What's that?"

"Is any of this what you'd really be saying, or am I just imaging you this way. I never actually met you, so how would I know how you act, or talk, or anything?"

"I never really considered that." Summer replied. "I suppose this world is based off of your image on the world, so everything that's here is fabricated on how you thought of them. In that sense, you always thought of me as a caring mom to Ruby, thanks."

"So, did image you accurately?"

"How would I know? I'm based off of your memories. For all we know, you could be way off. I'm not the real Summer, just a figment of your imagination. This whole world is the same way, even that sun set. Had you perceived the sun exploding in the sky every day, it would probably explode every day in here." The sun then began to sink in the sky as the moon rose behind them. "Well, I should probably get to sleep. We have a long day ahead of us. You coming with?" She asked.

"Nah, I think I'll stay out for a bit longer."

"Alright, just don't stay out too late." The woman in white said, before standing up and walking back into the halls of Beacon.

Ike looked out at the city in front of him, the forests to his left and right, and the open air under his feet. He let his mind wander through his memories of his friends. However, he always found himself thinking of Ruby.

**-The Next Day-**

The sounds of fighting echoed across the open field as the strike team fought. Summer pivoted and spun, hooking her scythe around an Ursa's waist. She then fired, splitting the beast in half. The upper half flew through the air, and became a projectile as James caught the corpse and launched it at a Beowulf, who was hit in the chest by it. The man then rolled forward to dodge a Boarbatusk charging at him. The beast then turned around and charged at him once again. James then sidestepped the attack and slammed his halberd into the beast's head, an attack that was amplified by his semblance. The attack broke through the bone mask and killed the beast.

Rideat then flew through the battle field after launching himself off a Beowulf's head. As he fell towards the ground, he fired a charge of lightning dust at an Ursa, paralyzing it. He landed and skidded to a stop behind the beast. The Faunus took advantage of the paralyzed beast and propelled himself towards the beast, slashing through it. He then unleashed a flurry of swipes, until it fell.

As chaos ensued in a place not so far away from Ike, the teen was sitting with his back pressed against a rock, waiting. "How're things going?" He asked over the comms.

"Pretty good, we're holding our own. Expect to be switched to the real world sometime soon." Dakota replied.

"Good." Ike replied. He then let the radio go silent and listened to the distant sounds of battle. He felt slightly guilty that he couldn't help his friends fight, especially because they were fighting for his sake. However, he was sure that he could pull his weight once he was in the outside world.

"Hello there, Ike." An evil and twisted voice said from behind him. Ike looked behind himself and up on the boulder he was leaning on to see Vesh sitting on the boulder.

"What do you want?"

"Well that's not very friendly." He replied.

"Did you expect me to be?"

"I suppose not. I just want to have a little chat with you, you know, show you how much we have in common."

"What do you honestly think we have in common?"

"Look around you. We both fight for our desires in life, they just aren't the same desires."

"Is that all you got?"

"So far. I'll think of more though, don't you worry."

After a brief silence, Ike asked. "Why don't you ever fight me or try to kill me or something during these talks?"

"Because I like you. We're friends, aren't we?" Vesh asked. His question was met with only an angry glare. "Wow, lighten up a bit. It's not like you're at a funeral. Well, you aren't yet at least."

"Just answer the question."

"Very well. We've actually already talked about this a bit. You see, me sitting here and talking doesn't take a lot of energy, so I can have these little chats with you, but this little fragment isn't very strong, so I couldn't kill you. Plus, you aren't in my territory, meaning that I'm weaker here. I would barely be able to scratch you out here, it just isn't worth the trouble. Though, you could kill me here easily, but killing me wouldn't do anything, seeing as this fragment doesn't have any control over everything."

"But it'll take you away from me, right?"

"Well I guess it would for…" He was then interrupted as an arrow was shot through his head, killing him. A few seconds later, Vesh reformed at his spot on the boulder. "Well that wasn't very polite."

"It shut you up for a few seconds though."

"I suppose that's true, but we don't ever fight each other anymore, do we?"

"What do you mean? We're fighting right now. I have people attacking you."

"Ya, but we aren't fighting. You just have your "friends" do all the work while you sit in the background playing general, don't you."

"We both know that isn't true."

"Do we? I sure don't. I haven't seen you fight in ages. You just sit back here and watch people die for your cause and then you forget about them seconds later. Don't be ashamed though, it's something I'd do too. Oh, look that's another way we're alike."

Ike opened his mouth to speak, but soon found himself feeling weak. "Ike we're about to kill the fragment." Summer said over the comms.

"Are you tired or something?" Vesh asked.

"No, I'm wide awake." Ike replied, before letting himself lose consciousness and be taken to the real world.

**-To the Real World-**

Ike's eyes snapped open and he looked out at the world around him. He was currently sitting at a small café, but he had no clue where he actually was. "How can I help you?" A young Faunus girl asked as she approached the table.

"Oh, I… uh… don't think I'm really in the mood for anything. Thanks though."

The teen then stood up and walked out of the café, leaving the Faunus girl with a confused look on her face. "Could've at least left a tip." She said bitterly.

The archer walked outside to find himself on a random street. "At least I'm in Vale." He said to himself.

That's when a loud explosion burst through the sounds of a usually calm city. This was followed quickly by a siren blaring. Ike jumped to the roof of a nearby building and looked around. He saw a mixture of smoke and dust rise into the air. The siren's call was then drowned out by cries of fear coming from the smoke. "I think I just found my fight." Ike said happily as he began to rush towards the sounds.

As he charged towards the area, the roars of Grimm echoed around him.

* * *

**We're nearing the end now! I say that a lot, don't I? Anyways, like always, if you have any OCs ideas, I'd love to use them for the near future, and it'd really help me out. Well, there's no other big news, so don't forget to leave a review or send a PM, so I can talk to you and read your feedback. I'll see you next time, bye!**


	47. Chapter 22: Patching a Hole

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm pretty good myself, because it snowed! I have about four inches of snow on the ground at my house, which is pretty awesome. Also, because I probably won't have another chapter out before Thanksgiving, have a happy Thanksgiving! I know I will. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

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Ike flew through the air, having rocketed himself towards the fight. Team RWBY was already fighting against the Grimm, but were obviously overwhelmed. "Heads up!" Ike called out as he flew. Ruby looked up to see her boyfriend flying through the air, feet together, spinning. The blur of blue's feet connected to the head of an Ursa, causing the beast to reel back in pain. He then pushed off the Grimm's head, obliterating it, and landing him safely next to Ruby.

"Ike?"

"Hey, Ruby. What's up?"

"What're you doing here!?" Yang yelled, turning her attention towards the blue haired teen.

"Wait, Yang it's me. It's Ike." Yang looked at her younger sister, who simply nodded back.

"Alright, what're you doing, Ike?" Yellow asked.

"I don't have a lot of time to explain, Vesh is going to take control here pretty soon. Throw him into as much danger as you can and don't let him get away, got it?"

"Got it." The sisters replied together.

"Good, I'm counting on you guys." Ike said as his speech began to slur and he faded out of consciousness.

**-Into Agartha-**

Ike faded back into consciousness and found himself back at the rock he had lost consciousness at. "How're things going?" Ike asked over the comms.

"Pretty good. How'd things go on your end?" Summer replied.

"Hopefully things will go according to plan." Ike replied. "I jumped into a fight, found team RWBY, and told them to make sure Vesh didn't get away."

"Good, with luck, the Grimm will start to slow down and become easier to fight.

**-To the Real World-**

"What the? Where am I?" Vesh asked himself as he slowly began to regain consciousness. He then looked around to see an Ursa fall to Jaune's blade.

"Yang, now!" Ruby called out.

"What?" Vesh said to himself, just in time to turn and see the blondie charging towards him. The brawler kicked him into the air, and then landed a strong punch to his stomach, sending him into an ice curve made by Weiss. His momentum carried as he went around the curve and was shot out towards the battle.

The evil teen slammed into the ground on his back and skipped a few times, until he eventually stopped. Vesh pushed himself onto his hands and knees and looked up to see a multitude of Grimm looking down at him. "Great, this is going to be fun." He said, just before a Boarbatusk slammed into his side and sent him skidding across the ground.

"Alright, I've had enough of this." Vesh said to himself as he stood up. "Bring it!" Vesh's eyes then turned black as he began to focus his strength on the battle before him.

**-Back to Agartha-**

"Ike, the Grimm are getting slower and easier to kill. I think it's working." James said over the comms.

"Good, spilt off into the different sectors, remember, we need to kill all fourteen at the same time."

"Don't worry, we got this." Rideat replied.

"You just focus on what you're going to do once you get out of here." Summer added.

**-Back to the Real World-**

Vesh jumped over the paw of an Ursa as it swiped at him. He then drop kicked the beast, sending it flying backwards. As he landed on his back, a Beowulf attempted to slam its paws down on him. The teen then rolled backwards and pushed himself into the air with his hands, avoiding the attack.

The teen's feet connected with the chest of another Ursa, which he pushed off of, rocketing himself forward like a bullet. Vesh turned himself into a drill as he spun, clearing any Grimm in his way. He eventually flipped in the air, and landed back on the ground, skidding to a stop.

The archer could hear the sounds of Bullheads nearby and looked up to see Atlas's military had arrived on the scene. The sounds of assault rifles and other dust weaponry filled the air as Atlas's military began to take control of the situation.

Vesh was then brought back into the fight as he saw a Boarbatusk charge at him from the corner of his eye. The evil teen performed an aerial over the beast and attempted to slash into it, only for his blades for bounce off its exoskeleton harmlessly.

The beast stopped and charge at him once again. The teen then side stepped out of the way, avoid the attack. He then kicked into the beast's side, sending it flying towards more Creatures of Grimm. "These things just keep coming." Vesh said to himself. "I need a way out of here."

That way out then presented itself as a small dog appeared out of the ground and head butted a Beowulf. "Is that dog fighting off Grimm?" Vesh asked himself. However, that wasn't his ticket out. Another Bullhead flew over the teen's head, a Bullhead filled with team CFVY and Peter Port.

As Creatures of Grimm drew their attention towards Yatsuhashi, Vesh decided to attempt an escape. He began to sprint across the battlefield, towards the outskirts of town. He hurdled over a Boarbatusk and passed team RWBY. "Ruby!" Yang called out. The younger sliced through another Beowulf and looked at her sister. "He's getting away!" The older of the two said.

Ruby looked to her right to see Vesh fleeing from the fight. "I'm on it!" She said, before firing behind her and giving chase to the evil teen.

"I think I'm going to make it out." Vesh thought to himself as he reached the edge of the fight.

"Where do you think you're going?" He heard someone say. He turned his head around, only to feel wind blow passed his head, almost like a car had just went by. He then looked forward to see Ruby plant her scythe into the ground and spin around it, trying to kick him in the face.

The evil teen slide under the attack and swung his blades into the girl's scythe. Ruby began to fall to the ground and received a strong kick to from Blue, sending her flying away.

Yang rushed forwards, her eyes a deep red and her hair on fire. Vesh fired arrows at the girl, who dodged them. She then led with a right jab, but Vesh rolled backwards to dodge the attack. As the girl flew forward for another attack, Vesh swung his bow at the girl like a club, only for Yellow to duck under it. She then picked the evil teen up and over her head, only for Blue to break free from her grip, plant his feet on her shoulders, and jump off of her, sending the fiery blonde into the ground and himself away from her.

As Vesh flew, Weiss blasted past him and landed on a glyph in the air. She then blasted off of it, attempting to collide with the teen. Blue switched to his blades and blocked the girl's attack, sending him flying towards the ground.

Vesh landed on the ground and skidding on his feet to a stop. Weiss wasted no time in attacks once she landed and glided towards him. With her rapier pointed forward, White was poised to land a hit, only for her weapon to be deflected upwards. This left her completely defenseless and Vesh landed a kick to her stomach sending her flying away.

Blake was the last one to join the fight as she rushed towards the evil teen. She swung her weapon up at him, only to be blocked. She then shadowed out of the way as Vesh's blades smashed through the fake version of the Faunus. Blake then reappeared behind the teen and attempted to attack once again, only to be blocked and shadow away before she was hit. Vesh felt wind brush past him as Black tried to ambush him once again. Vesh struck first this time, catching the girl off guard and sending her flying away.

"Please, is this really all you got?" He asked as the four girls recovered and stood back up.

**-Back to Agartha-**

"Sector 95 is ready to finish the attack." One of the headmasters said over the comms.

"As is Sector 87." Dakota added.

The various other leaders of strike teams then said their confirmations of being ready.

"Alright, everyone attack on my mark. Three, two, one, mark."

The Hunters and Huntresses then dealt the final blow to their fragments of Vesh. Ike felt himself lose consciousness of his body and return to the real world.

**-To the Real World-**

Vesh stood on one end of the fight, smugly. The four girls stood in front of him, ready to fight. However, Vesh could then feel himself getting weaker. "No, not now." He thought to himself.

He began to walk towards his opponents, but was stumbling back and forth. His legs could then no longer support him and he fell down to one knee. Vesh looked up to see his vision blurring and the world turning dark. Then he lost consciousness.

Ike's body fell face first to the floor and didn't move for a few seconds. "Ike?" Ruby asked as she lowered her weapons.

Life then filled the body as Ike opened his eyes and looked at the world around him. A very angry Glynda was fixing the city, Peter and Oobleck were chatting, and team RWBY stood in front of him. Ike smiled at the scene and let air fill his lungs.

He looked up from the ground and simply said, "Hey, Ruby." With a stupid smile.

"Ike?" The girl asked.

"The one and only." He replied with a toothy smile as he pushed himself up off the ground and simply stood as his girlfriend ran over to him.

"Ruby, what if that isn't him!" Yang called out. Ruby the collided with her boyfriend, who picked her up and spun her in a hug, before kissing her. "Ruby!"

"Do you honestly think that isn't Ike?" Blake asked.

"It does seem highly unlikely." Weiss answered.

"It's him!" Ruby called out to her sister.

"That's what you said last time!" The older sister called back.

"Come on, let's go see him." Blake said as she and White began to walk over towards the couple.

Ike gave Ruby a quick kiss, before the monochrome duo reached then. "Blake, Weiss, it's so nice to see you two!" The boy said, before wrapping them both in a hug, neither of which seemed too pleased about. "Wow, never thought I'd hear myself say that."

"What?" The heiress asked.

"Weiss, it's so nice to see you." Ike replied smugly.

"Hey!" White said, only slightly annoyed.

"Yang!" Blue called out.

"Lover Boy!" The blonde replied, before wrapping him into a bear hug and locking in her grip. "I'm so happy you're finally back!"

"It's nice to see you too, Yang." Ike managed to say as the last bits of air escaped from his lungs.

Finally, Yang mercifully released her hold on the boy, who then fell to the ground with a thud.

**-Later-**

"Well, we did it." Yang said as team RWBY plus Ike sat on the edge of Beacon, with their feet dangling off the edge.

"We did it." Blake said.

"I didn't do much of anything." Ike said.

"If we don't get extra credit for that I'm going to be seriously disappointed." Weiss said.

"Weiss, a two head snake literally crushed a bakery." Yang said.

"And there was a clothing story that got destroyed, and a dust shop, and even a café." Blue said.

"Right. Anyways, I wouldn't count on it." Yang said to the Heiress.

"Plus, I mean, we didn't solve everything. A lot of people were hurt and we still don't even know why they did this, or who that mystery girl was."

"Well, not ever story has a neat and tidy ending." White said.

"I guess." Red said.

"But at least we have Ike back, right?" Yang asked the blue haired teen.

"Ya, about that…"

"What?" Wiess asked.

"I'm not really back, completely yet." Ike said.

"What do you mean? You've been with us for nearly an hour now. From what we've been told you can only come back for a few minutes at a time." Blake said.

"Well, that's true, but I just took back 14 sectors all at the same time. All that same stacked up and here I am."

"So, how many more sectors do you have left?" Ruby asked.

"Luckily, only one. Don't worry, I'll be back to normal in no time." Ike said happily with a smile.

"Well then, on that happy note, I think it's time for bed." Yang said as she pushed herself up to her feet.

"Oh, please." Weiss said.

"Absolutely." Blake answered.

"I think I'm going to stay up a bit longer." Ruby said.

"Same here." Ike replied.

"Alright, I'll see you two later. Ike, I expect you to be back to normal soon." Yellow said.

"Don't worry, I won't be gone for long." The blue haired teen replied.

As WBY began to walk back towards the school, Ruby rested her head on Ike's shoulder, simply enjoying the sunset. Neither of them knew how much time passed just sitting there, it could've been weeks for all they cared, they were just happy to be together again. "Hey, Ike?"

"Ya?"

"When do you think you'll be back to normal again?"

"Hopefully, a few days. I don't think it'll be too long."

"Good, I've missed having you here." The girl said.

"I've missed being here." Ike replied. He then looked down at the girl and kissed the top of her head and wrapped an arm around her.

"Hey, Ruby."

"Ya?"

"Can you tell me about your mom?"

"I'm not sure, that's not a topic I really like talking about.

"I know, but I've met her in my head and want to make sure I'm picturing her right."

Red sighed and said, "Alright. She was always this super kind of mom. She was always there for me when I needed her and was a Huntress at the same time. She never seemed to stop moving. One second she'd be making cookies, then she'd be taking me out to the zoo, and then she'd be off on a mission. She was the best mom I could've asked for. She's the reason I've always wanted to be a Huntress. I just wanted to make her proud of me."

"I'm sure she is Rubes." Ike said happily.

After another long pause of silence, Ruby said, "Can you tell me about your family?"

"I guess it's only fair. Who do you want to hear about first?"

"How about your mom?" The girl said.

"Alright. My mom… she was…" Ike found it hard for him to find words. It wasn't that he couldn't describe her, he knew exactly the kind of person she was. He just couldn't make the words come out.

"If this is too hard you don't…"

"No, I've waited long enough to tell you this. My mom was… she was this amazing, loving person. She always looked after James and me and did everything in her power to make sure we were happy. She was also a bit of a neat freak, but that might've been a good thing in hindsight. She always made the best out of a bad situation. Some of my best memories are of her."

"Well, what about James?"

"James was… He was always super protective of me. He would try to beat up anyone who was making fun of me or anything like that." Ike said with a sad laugh. "He always put me before himself. He wouldn't eat on some nights that way I could… He had that instinct big brother type of thing, and he had it bad. After our parents died he was the one who made all the decisions and always did the best he could for me… He used to always try to cheer me up, no matter how bad things got... I really can't thank him enough for everything he did for me."

"And your dad?"

"My dad? I'm… not really sure about him."

"Like how to describe him?"

"No, I mean… I don't really know if I ever knew the real him."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know how I said my dad did some shady work?"

"Ya."

"Well, I've been thinking about it, and… I guess I don't really know if my dad acted like his true self around me."

"Well, what do you remember about him?"

"I remember him as a caring person who put his family before himself. He worried about just about everything he could, from money to our welfare. He was kind quiet and never really wasted words, but it wasn't a, "shut the world out" kind of quiet, it was a "appreciate the moment" quiet."

"Well, that's the way you should remember him as. As a kind and loving father."

"Ya, I don't know… I just wish I knew more about him."

"I understand." Ruby said.

The couple sat in silence as the sun sank under the horizon and the shattered moon rose into the sky. Eventually, Ruby fell asleep and began to lightly snore while resting on her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Ruby?" Ike whispered, but the girl didn't wake up. The archer looked at her and smiled at her peaceful face. He then picked her up and carried her on his back as he began walking back to the room.

Ike opened the door quietly and walked in. Everyone in the room was fast asleep. Ike tiptoed into the room and laid Ruby down in her bed. He then pulled the blankets over her and kissed her forehead. "I'll be back soon, I promise." He whispered to her.

"She fell asleep on you, didn't she?" Yang whispered from behind him.

"Ya, she did."

"She used to do that all the time on car rides back from anywhere. Dad would always carry back into the house and put her in her bed." Yang said with a smile. A smile appeared on Ike's lips as well at the thought of a young Ruby being carried in. "Ike."

"Ya, Yang?"

"Just, promise me you'll come back. I don't know what either of us would do without you." Yang said.

"Don't worry, I will." He said.

The two then hugged before Ike walked out the door.

**-Later-**

"Mr. Mers, or are you Vesh?" Ozpin asked as the blue haired teen walked into his office.

"It's me, Ike, Professor."

"Good. So, tell me, what are you doing out at this hour?"

"Well, my time's almost up. Vesh is going to take control soon, so I want to make sure you're watching over me."

"And why's that?"

"I figured you could handle yourself in a fight if anything bad were to happen."

"I suppose I could." The headmaster said. "In the meantime, would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Yes, that'd be nice." Ike replied. The man then pulled a second coffee mug out from under his desk and handed it to the teen. It looked identical to the one already in his hand. "How long has this been under there?"

"I wouldn't worry about that. It's still hot, so it's safe to drink." The man said, before taking a sip out of his own mug. "Tell me, how have things been since we last spoke?"

"Well…" The two then made idle conversation as the time passed. Soon enough, Ike's eye began to get heavy and he could feel himself getting weak.

The blue haired teen put the cup down on Ozpin's desk. "I'm losing control." Ike said.

"I understand. I wish you the best of luck." Ozpin replied.

"Thank you, headmas…" Ike then slumped over in his chair as he lost control of his body.

Ozpin waited for the body to spring back to life, but it didn't. One minute passed, then two, then five, then ten, but no one ever came back into control.

Both personalities had locked themselves away.

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**Well, that's that. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. There's not much to say about the story, so I'll just end this chapter here. Don't forget to send me a PM and leave a review so I can talk to you and read for feedback. I'll see you next time! Bye!**


	48. Chapter 23: I'll Follow You

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm pretty good myself. I finally got all my Christmas shopping done, so that's out of the way. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

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"Are we ready?" Ike asked.

"I think so." James replied.

"Yep." Summer said.

"You guys realize this might be the last time we're together, right?" The archer asked.

"Ya, we know." James said.

"It's been a good run." Rideat added.

"But you don't belong here. This might be your head, but it isn't your world." Summer said.

"I suppose your right." Ike said. "Thanks for everything. I couldn't have made it this far without you guys." The archer said.

"Don't worry, we know." The older of the brothers said as he wrapped an arm around his brother. "Now, let's finish this."

**-One Week Earlier-**

"Do we actually know where we're fighting at?" One of the headmasters asked.

"Or what we're up against?" Another asked.

"Or anything?" Dakota added.

"Well… no." Ike said.

"Well, this seems like a suicide mission then." One of the headmasters said. The group was having another strategy meeting, only this time, it was for the most important fight they would have. The final one.

"We sent out scouts to the area." Ike said.

"And what happened to them?" Dakota asked.

"They… didn't make it back." James admitted.

"So we've lost scouts, have no intelligence, and are expected to rush in blindly to a fight?" Zedong asked.

"Yes?" Blue said.

"That sounds like my kind of fight!" Rideat said.

"No." Dakota answered. "Call another meeting when you have some actual intel." The Huntress then stood up and left the room.

"While I trust your judgement, I'm not in the business of risking my life or the lives of others." Zedong said as he stood up and walked out of the room as well. A few of the headmasters stood up as well and left the room.

"For what it's worth, I'll trust you. If you think we should fight, I'll be right next to you." Summer said.

"I'll be there too." James added.

"Well, I'm still alive, so I'll stay with ya." Rideat said.

"And you guys?" Ike asked as he looked at the leaders of Beacon who had stayed.

"You haven't led us astray yet." One of them said.

"We're still here." Another added.

"What's the plan?" A third said.

"Well, seeing as nobody from the past three scouting parties has returned, I don't think sending a fourth will help at all." Blue said.

"A fourth would probably just end up like the last three." James said.

"So, what do we do?" Summer asked.

"I say we hit 'em fast and hit 'em with everything that we've got!" Rideat declared as he stood up quickly, nearly knocking his chair over.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Rideat just said my only idea. I'm thinking we could led a full frontal attack on the final sector." Ike said.

"And is that our only option?" One of the headmasters asked.

"Unless any of you have an idea." Blue said. Nobody spoke up.

"Well then, it seems we have our plan then." Summer said.

"Alright. We should move in groups of four until we find where Vesh is located at. We'll then surround the area and look for any weak points in the defenses that he's probably set up. Once we find a weakness, we'll led a feigned attack on one area while sending in a second team to attack from a flank. The flank team should draw enough attention for a special team to attack the weak point and hopefully we can kill Vesh, before too much damage is caused."

"As long as I can do some damage." Rideat said happily.

"Very well then." One of the headmasters said as he stood up. "I'll make the arrangements for Bullheads to provide transportation for us. I'm sure you can make team arrangements, Mr. Mers."

"Yes, I'll be able to if I have a list of people."

"Good, I'll be sure to send you a list of our troops." The man said. "In the meantime, we should all attempt to convince the other to join us. We'll commence our operations in a week. I'll see you then." The headmaster then proceeded to walk out of the room, followed by the others, except for James and Summer.

"If you need help with teams, just ask me." Summer said. "Though, I'd like to be with you."

"I'll try my best." The teen said.

"Put me on that team too. I want to be with my little brother when all of this ends." James said optimistically. The two of them then walked out of the room, leaving Ike by himself.

The teen's scroll then pinged as he got a message. He opened it up to see the headmaster had sent him a list of all of the troops and any current teammates they had. Ike then began to scroll down, to see that the list seemed almost endless. Blue sighed and called out, "Hey, Summer!"

**-Later-**

Ike sat inside the library as he scribbled down names to add to each team and erased others. "And I thought Oobleck's homework took forever." He complained as he rubbed his eyes and pinched his nose. Then, seeing the small dent he had put into the list of names, he let his head drop and slam into the table he was sitting at. "Oww." He complained.

"You want to keep it down over there?" He heard a familiar voice say, bitterly. Ike picked his head back up and looked at the direction of the voice to see Dakota sitting at another table, with a small book in front of her.

"Dakota, what're you doing here?" Blue asked.

"I'm trying to read." She replied.

"I didn't know you read."

"You gotta find some way to relieve the stress of living in a place that's constantly being mobbed by Grimm."

"I suppose you have a point. What book are you reading?"

"Beyond Two Souls."

"What's it about?"

"It's about a man who has two souls, both of which are fighting for control over his body."

"That sounds familiar."

"I suppose I never considered your life is basically a real life version of this book."

"So, which soul gets control?"

"I don't know yet, I haven't finished the book."

"Oh, alright." Ike said. He then went back to adding and removing people from various teams.

"Are you really going through with this?" Dakota asked.

"Going through with what?"

"The whole attacking the final sector thing."

"Of course."

"You realize that that's a suicide mission, right?"

"I think it's the best chance we have." Ike said.

"It might be, but I'm not risking my life so that you can just get me killed."

"I suppose that's your choice. We'd appreciate the help though."

"I know you would, but it's too much of a risk." Dakota said. "If I was you, I would call the whole thing off."

"And why's that?"

"We've struggled at easier fights than this with more troops. You probably have about half of the troops you usually do and you have no Hunters from Achievement. You're just going to get yourself killed."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Blue asked.

"I don't know. That's why you're in charge here. Maybe you should just use this as a scouting mission, come back, and then tell us what you find out."

"We could, but that just gives Vesh even more time to prepare for our attack."

"Well, if you want to go out there and get yourself killed, be my guest." The woman said as she returned to her book.

"What do you think will happen then?"

"What? If you go out there and die?"

"Ya, what happens then?"

"Who knows? Maybe the world will blow up, maybe everything will just be normal. All I know is that I've survived attacks from Grimm for a long time. If you and your ragtag group of soldiers run out there and get killed, I'm staying here and I'm going to play defense where I have a chance at living."

"But that's the thing, I don't think you will have a chance." Mers said.

"Are you saying that I'm not strong enough to defend myself? I think I've proved time and again that I'm one of the most capable fighters here."

"You're here, because you died. I'm just saying that you died once when the Grimm attacked where you were, it might happen again. Coming with us is your best shot at survival."

"Is that a threat?" Dakota asked.

"No." Ike said as he stood up. "I'm just being honest with you." The teen then walked out of the library, leaving the woman angry, confused, and questioning herself.

**-Back to the Present-**

"Now, let's finish this." James said to his younger brother.

The team of James, Ike, Summer, and Rideat, a team which they named MMRS, pronounced Mers, stepped off the Bullhead and moved through the forest along with the rest of the troops who had decided to join them.

Unfortunately, Dakota stuck to her decision and didn't join the attack. Neither did any of the Hunters from Achievement, all opting to stay at Beacon along with any others who thought the mission was too risky.

While most of the students at Beacon joined the attack, many professors and a few headmasters decided to stay at the academy. Along with the attacking force were a few experienced Hunters who had joined the ranks of the army during the time of the war between the two souls. Any members of the Organization had joined in the attack as well, though few of these fighters remained through all of the attacks.

The mood was tense as the strike forced moved through the woods as silently as they could. Each person knowing that this would be their final fight, win or lose. Everyone's nerves were on edge as they had seen the fighters that had decided to join in the attack, realizing that the one thing they lacked was experience. The large majority of the fighting force comprised of students from Beacon, rather than experienced Hunters. However, the students who had made it this far were the strongest of the bunch, either that or they had just been lucky.

Only the sound of the wildlife surrounded the attackers. That, and the occasional snap of a branch or the sound of someone brushing against a bush or something of the sort. However, that tense more suddenly changed as the group saw something through the dense woods. That something became clearer and clearer as they approached it.

As the forest thinned out, a fortress appeared before them. A fortress that seemed impenetrable. The stronghold seemed to exude a dark and foreboding presence. Grimm also surrounded the fortress, but Ike doubted that was all of the Grimm that Vesh had at his disposal. "You think this is it?" Rideat whispered.

"No, I think we actually passed by it a few minutes back. Why don't you turn around and go find it, we'll catch up." James whispered sarcastically and bitterly. "Of course this is it!"

"Well, what should we do?" Summer asked Ike.

"We stick to the plan." He said. "We need to start looking for a weak point."

The teen then stood up to begin moving, but Summer pulled him back down. "Wait, are you sure this is a good idea?" She asked.

"We haven't gone this far for nothing." He replied.

"Ike, I don't think we can handle this. Look at this place, we won't be able to get in there. People are already scared of this place, look around you." The woman said.

The archer then began to look around, to see many students obviously afraid of what stood in front of them. Students that were no older than himself. Ike sighed and said, "Maybe you're right. What do you think we should do?" He asked the cloaked woman, but someone else responded.

"I say you should just punch a hole in the wall." Dakota said from behind him. Ike looked behind him to see that the woman was leading the other half of the army that Ike needed. "We have a few Bullheads waiting. We thought those might help."

"Yes, now what's your strategy for attack?" Zedong asked as he slowly approached the group.

"Wait, what are you doing out here?" James asked.

"I thought it might be fun to see what happens when this all ends. I expect for there to be explosions or something of the sort." The man said with a smile.

"Don't worry, there will be." Rideat said happily.

"We should send in the Bullheads first and alert the compound. Then we'll send in the first wave of attackers and hit the main gate. While that happens, we need to blow two holes into the compound. One needs to be a large and very obvious attack. We'll send in a team of elite Hunters that you'll lead. This will serve as a second distraction for the third attack. This group will blow a small hole into the compound, most likely using finding a window and blowing a hole through it. This group will be comprised of my team. We'll hopefully sneak through the compound and then kill Vesh."

"Sounds like a plan." Dakota said.

"Alright, call in the Bullheads then." Ike said.

Dakota made the call and silence once again fell across the forest. Then the sound of whirling engines filled the air. Eventually, the ships flew overhead and began a strafing run on the fortress. The bullets cut through multiple Creatures of Grimm. However, as their bodies dissolved into the ground, more arose and took their place. Ike then took out a flare gun, loaded a round, and fired the red flare into the air, indicating for the attack to begin. With a mighty roar, the warriors sprang out of their hiding places and charged into the clearing.

"Dakota, move to the left side and make an opening." Ike ordered. The woman simply nodded, before sprinting off to another direction followed by seven other Hunters.

"What are we doing?" Summer asked.

"I say we get into a little trouble before we go all covert." Rideat said happily.

"My thoughts exactly." Ike replied.

Ike broke through the forest and into the clearing, firing arrows. As a Beowolf reached the teen, it swiped at him, only to miss. Ike slid across the ground and fired three arrows into the beast's stomach as he passed it. While the beast was stunned, the teen switched to his blades and planted his feet into the ground, stopping himself. He then spun and decapitated the beast.

The teen then preformed a backwards handspring to dodge out of the way of a charging Boarbatusk. He landed, only to have to roll forward to dodge a swipe of an Ursa's paw. However, as the boy returned to his feet and spun around to attack, he saw a scythe's blade hook around the beast's waist. A gunshot then went off and the scythe was forced backwards, cutting the Ursa in half and throwing white rose petals into the air.

Summer then continued to spin with her momentum, as she flipped her scythe and decapitated a Beowolf. She then spun her weapon vertically, ending her spin by planting the blade through the foot of another Beowolf. The beast roared in pain and begin to stare down the woman, who fired her weapon once again, blasting a hole through the beast and sending it flying backwards. She then changed her weapon into its sniper form and quickly aimed and fired a bullet into the white head of a King Taijitu, stunning it for a second, just before its jaws clamped down on a certain hyperactive Faunus.

The round knocked the beast's head to the side, giving Rideat just enough time to dodge an attack from the creature. James then rode down its back, starting from the black head, unloading rounds into it as he slid. The man then planted his axe into the beast's white head. He then punched into the beast's head, sending a shockwave through the Grimm's head, causing it to explode and his axe to go flying to the air.

Rideat capitalized on this and grabbed onto the axe while it was in the air. He then threw the axe into the black head, causing the beast to reel back in pain. He then shot a fire dust charge into the beast's head, blinding it. To finish it off, the teen landed on the ground and flashed forward towards the beast's head, before slashing into it and killing the beast.

As Ike rolled forward to avoid another attack and fired a slew of arrows, an explosion ripped through the sounds of the battlefield. "Team MMRS, retreat!" Ike ordered followed by a swift retreat back to the forest.

"Is everything ready?" James asked.

"Yes, Dakota's team should be creating a secondary distraction right now."

"Good, we'll break in through one of the windows on the bottom floor and clear the areas until we find Vesh. All that's left then is to kill him. Try not to draw too much attention to use when we get in there. We want to get in and kill him as quickly as we can, fighting any Grimm in the complex will just make everything take longer."

"This place is huge though." Rideat said. "Should we just split up?"

"No!" Summer said sternly. "We'll only be weaker if we split up and Vesh is too strong for us to take on alone."

"Summer's right." Ike said. "We need to stay together. Once we find Vesh, we'll contact Dakota's team for reinforcements. We'll fight Vesh and try to kill him, but we may need help."

"Doesn't that seem a bit extreme? It's a four on one, I'm sure we'll be fine." James said.

"You can never be too careful." The woman in white replied.

"Plus, we've never seen Vesh fight at his full strength. He's always had to dedicate strength to staying in the real world. I doubt he's doing that now. He'll be stronger than he ever has been." Blue said.

"Then let's go show him how strong we really are!" Rideat said triumphantly.

"How are we supposed to get in there?" Summer whispered to Ike as they stood on the edge of the forest, looking at the back side of the fortress.

"How about we…" Ike was then cut off by a hyperactive Faunus.

"Boom!" He yelled out as the stood up and unleased a fire charge of dust from his prosthetic hand. The fireball smacked into the wall and simply dispersed upon impact.

"Now that we got out of the way." James said. However, Ike noticed something. The iron, cell like bars on one of the windows had turned to an orangish-red color. As Summer began to propose another plan, Ike sprinted forward towards the bars.

As the teen reached the building, he jumped, spun, and sliced both of his blades into the bars, cutting through the super-heated iron. Rideat smiled proudly and looked at James. "Look what I did." The Faunus said.

"You got lucky, kid." James said with a smile, before approaching his brother.

"I think we should be able to climb in through there." Ike said as the others reached him.

"Only one way to find out." James said.

"So who's going…" The woman said, before looking around and see the other three already looking back at her. "First. Why am I going first?"

"You're the smallest out of all of us. You'll be able to get in there easily and make sure the area's safe." Ike said.

"Fine, I'll do it. Someone give me a boost, I won't be able to reach it." She said, noting that the window was higher up than most of them would be able to reach, with the exception of Ike.

James then stood under the window and wove his hands together, creating a foothold. Summer then ran at the man and planted her foot in his hands, before being throw up into the air. The cloaked woman grabbed onto the ledge of the open window and pulled herself. A few seconds passed, before she leaned back out and gave the other a thumbs up.

Rideat was then thrown up in a similar fashion, followed by James, who was boosted up by his brother. Finally, Ike jumped into the air, caught the ledge and pulled himself in.

Once he landed on the ground inside, he looked around to see a decapitated Beowolf slowly eroding away. "Alright, let's get moving." Ike said.

Ike took one step forward and felt himself sway to the right. He then took his next step and swayed the other way. "Ike, are you okay?" Summer asked.

"Ya, I'm fine." He replied, unconvincingly. He took a third step, felt himself lose his balance, and began to fall to the ground as he lost consciousness. The last thing he saw was the other three reaching out to try to catch him, before he collided with the ground.

Blue's eyes shot open and he sat up to find he had broken into a cold sweet. He looked around him to see that he wasn't in the fortress of evil, he wasn't outside on the battlefield, he wasn't even anywhere near the battle. He was in his room in Beacon. His real room, surrounded by teams RWBY and JNPR. He then felt a splitting pain rush through his head.

"Ike, are you okay?" Ruby asked him.

"What?" He asked.

"She asked if you were okay. Did you hit your head or something?" Weiss asked grabbed her books.

"No, I'm okay. Why am I here?" Ike asked his girlfriend, completely confused.

"Like here at Beacon training to be a Hunter? I don't know, that's something you have to answer yourself. Are you sure you're okay?" The girl asked.

"No, I was in my head. I was with Rideat and my brother and your mom and we were fighting Vesh. Why am I here?" Ike asked, himself, completely confused.

"It sounds like you had a pretty crazy dream." Yang said.

"Ya, who's Rideat anyways?" Ruby asked.

"Is it over?" Ike thought to himself. "Did someone kill Vesh without me knowing?"

"Come on, if we keep dillydallying here, we'll be late for class." Weiss said as she picked up a final notebook.

"Oh, we gotta go." Ruby said, before giving Ike a quick kiss. "Your first class starts in an hour, don't be late!" The girl said as she was rushed out the door by the rest of her team and team JNPR, leaving the confused teen all alone.

"Is it really over?" He asked himself.

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**Well, Vesh is dead! Yay! Or is he? Who knows? I do, because I'm halfway through writing the next chapter. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed. I do need a few more OCs for tournament fights, but I'm not entirely sure how many I need. I know I need at least one. Anyways, don't forget to leave a review and send me a PM so I can talk to you and read your feedback. Have a nice day!**


	49. Chapter 24: To the End

**Hello everyone! How are you? I've been better but oh well. Sorry about the late update, I've been really busy. Also, my laptop is still broke, so i'm using my brother's old one. Anyways, enjoy!**

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Ike tightened the tie around his neck and grabbed his jacket, before putting it on, completing his school uniform. "I can't believe it's over." He thought as he looked at himself in the mirror. "This nightmare that I've been living is finally over."

For some reason, his head then began to throb with pain. "Was does my head hurt so much?" He asked himself. The archer massaged his temples, until the pain returned to a dull ache. "I'll just have to live with it for today." He then pulled open the door to his room and walked out into the hall, heading towards Professor Burns's class.

As he walked, he continued to let his mind wander, but one thing seemed strange to him. "Why didn't anyone care that I was here?" He asked himself. "Shouldn't they have been like ecstatic or something?" He wondered as he walked through he crowded hall. "Maybe I'm making a bigger deal out of this than I should be."

"Ike, get up!" He heard a dream like voice whisper from behind him. He stopped and turned around, but only saw students walk passed him.

"Well that was weird." He tough as his head began to throb with pain once again. It quickly returned to only mild discomfort so pin enough though.

"Ike!" The same voice said from behind him again. The teen turned around again, but didn't see anyone who looked like they wanted to talk to him. "Excuse me." He said to a girl with white hair and a spotted white and black tail.

"Yes?" She replied.

"Did you hear anyone saying the name, Ike?" He asked,

"I don't think so."

"Hmm, I must be hearing things." He said. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." The girl replied cheerfully as she began to walk down the hall again.

"I really am going crazy, aren't I?" Ike thought to himself, before he began to walk towards Professor Burns's class once again.

Ike pushed open he door to the room, to find the teacher in the middle of a lecture. "Mr. Mers. How nice of you to show up. Too bad you're late." Burns said.

"Late? I'm not late." Blue replied confused.

"Mr. Mers, just because you are normally late, that does not mean that you're on time when you come into class ten minutes late. Please, take your seat and see me after class." The professor then turned back to the board and began writing on it.

Ike took his normal seat next to Ruby, and began to open up his notebook to take notes. "Where've you been?" Red asked.

"I... I don't know. I was right on time waking here and the all of a sudden I was ten minutes late. I actually left the room early today, so I should've gotten here earlier than usual."

The girl laughed a little and asked, "When was the last time you were early to anything?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Ike teased back.

"At least I wasn't late." The girl replied, before sticking her tongue out.

"Quiet!" Burns yelled at the two teens, uncharacteristically.

"Sorry." Both of them mumbled simultaneously. Burns then turned back around and went back to writing on the board.

"That was weird." Ike said.

"Ya, I don't think it ever heard him yell." Red agreed.

"Normally he just throws something sharp and dangerous at me." Blue replied.

"He's only done that a few times." The Grimm Reaper said defending the teacher.

"He's done it 17 times, and that's not counting the times he did it to Vesh." Ike replied bluntly.

"Okay, maybe he's done it a little more than a few times." Red said.

Before Ike could reply, he heard a new voice whisper to him. "Ike, get up!" It said in its dream like voice. Ike then covered his face with his hands and let his head drop bow down as pain began to surge through it once again.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked, concerned as she placed one of her hands on his back.

"Ya, I'm fine." He mumbled through gritted teeth and pain. Eventually, the pain subsided and Ike was able to let out a sigh of relief. "I've been hearing things all day. I don't know why though. And my head just starts randomly hurting."

"Has it been hurting all day?"

"Ya, but the pain just randomly flares up for a few seconds and then it's gone."

"Maybe you should go back to the room and rest for a bit. You've been through a lot recently. The headache and hearing things is probably just a side effect of everything."

"I'd love to, but I'll probably have to make up a ton of work if I don't want to be held back a year." Ike replied.

"Actually, Vesh was pretty good at doing homework." Ruby said.

"Really?"

"Ya, he was super smart too. He probably raised your grades."

"Well, at least something good came out of this."

"Yep, don't worry though, you'll be able to drop them back down to where they were before all of this." Ruby said sweetly. Ike gave her a death stare, but she only smiled innocently back and gave him a quick kiss on the check, which broke his unhappy demeanor.

The bell then rang out, signaling that the class was over. "Class can't be over already, we've only been here for five minutes."

"Maybe you have been, but some of us actually got here on time." The girl replied.

"No, it still doesn't make sense. I came here ten minutes late and five minutes has passed, which means that only fifteen minutes has passed." He said.

"Mr. Mers, please don't forgot to come speak with me." Professor Burns said.

"I don't know what to tell you." Red said as she collected her books. "I'll see you later." She then gave Ike a quick kiss and said, "Try to get some rest."

"Don't worry, I will." Ike replied.

The archer grabbed his books and made his way up to the professor's desk. "You wanted to speak with me." He said, getting Professor Burns's attention."

"Yes, Ike, I have a few things I want to discuss." He said as he looked up from his desk. However, Ike saw something sinister when the professor looked up at him. Burns's mouth was curled up into an evil smile. His body also seemed to glitch back and forth almost like he was losing connection to a network.

"And those things would be?" Ike asked, somewhat unnerved at the professor's appearance.

"Well, first of all..." The professor began saying, before his voice began to be distort and turn into a jumble of distortions.

"What's going on?" The teen thought.

"Mr. Mers, are you even paying attention?" Burns asked as he pinched his nose, but the smile remained.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" He asked.

"Never mind Mr. Mers. You obviously have a lot on your mind, please just don't be late for my class again. Your alter ego proved your body could make it on time, continue that trend."

"Y-yes, sir." Blue said, unnerved by the smile on his teacher's face. He then began to walk towards the door.

"And Mr. Mers." The professor said as the teen reached the door.

"Yes?" Ike asked as he turned around to see the smile persisted.

"It's nice to have you back." He said. However, his facial expressions said otherwise.

"I-it's... uhh... good to be back... sir." The teen said, before quickly leaving the room.

Ike returned to his room and laid down in his bed. "What's happening?" Ike thought to himself as he looked up at the ceiling. However, his thoughts were quickly interrupted by an image flashing before his eyes. He saw Summer and James both leaning over his body.

"Am I see things now?" Ike asked out loud. The same image flashed before his eyes, only accompanied by sounds for a moment, along with hi head throbbing with pain.

"We can't stay forever." He heard Rideat say from somewhere out of view.

"Well, what do you think we should do? We can't just leave him here." Summer replied.

"What about if we carry him?" James asked.

"I think he'll weight us down too much." Summer replied. The voices then faded as his headache subsided.

"Maybe I should go to the infirmary." Blue said to himself as he got up. "Something isn't right with me. Maybe we screwed something up in that last battle." He sad, talking to himself as he turned the knob of the door and pulled it open.

However, there was something strange about the hall he opened the door to. It wasn't there. In its place was a dark, vast void full of nothing. "This can't be right." Ike said t himself as he looked down into the void. He then looked to he right, left, and above him, to see the same thing all around him.

After a few seconds of looking into the nothingness, the hallway suddenly appeared before the teen, making him jump backwards a little. He then poked his head out into the hall, to see it had returned to normal. He slowly reached his foot out and gently tapped the ground a few times to check if it was solid. Once he was convinced it was, he stepped out into the hall and began to was towards the landing pad.

As Ike walked through the halls, he noticed something strange. They were completely barren. "Hmm, that's weird. There's usually at least one person in the halls. Even if it's just some late person running through them. Then again, that person was usually me." He thought to himself. The world only got stranger and stranger as he approached the outside. The walls turned black, the world seemed to tilt, and strange sounds came from nowhere.

However, everything turned normal again just before he walks outside. Then it got weird again. As he stepped outside, he noticed there was something wrong wit the sky, and Vale. They weren't there.

"What's going on?" Ike asked as he walked up to the edge of the void and looked down. Beacon had been completely ripped from the ground and was now a floating island in the sky.

"Hey Ike." The voice of Ruby said from behind him. The teen turned around to see his girlfriend behind him.

"Hey? Look at this!" Ike said,

"Look at what?" The girl asked.

"Do you not see this?" Ike asked frantically as he gestured around him.

"I don't know what you mean." Ruby replied.

"Look around us! There's nothing here! It's all..."

"I said I don't see anything!" The girl yelled at her boyfriend, uncharacteristically.

"Ruby, are you telling me, that you see something there?" Blue asked as he pointed out to where Beacon stopped and the void began.

"Of course." Red said innocently, but too innocently. It sounded almost creepy and unnerving. However, Ike simply brushed it off.

"What do you see?" He asked.

"I see Beacon and Vale." The girl replied in the same unnerving tone, this time scaring Ike slightly.

"Ruby, there's nothing there." He replied.

"Of course there is." She replied in the same tone as she began to walk towards the edge.

"Ruby, what're you doing?" He asked.

"I'm going to show you that there's something there." She replied, holding the tone as she got closer and closer to the edge.

"No, there isn't!" Ike said as he walked next to her.

"Yes there is." She said as he stood on the edge of nothing and looked down at the void. "Watch."

The girl then casually took another step, letting her feet hit nothing but then air. "Ruby!" Ike called out. He reached out to grab her, but only grabbed thin air. The girl's foot dropped below the ground and gravity sucked her in. The girl went head over heels and began to plummet. Ike watched as the girl flew for a few moments before disappearing into the void.

"This can't be real." Ike said as he fell to his knees and looked into the void. "This has to be a dream, or something."

However, Ike's talk with himself was interrupted by the voices once again. "Ike, get up!" One said.

"We need to move!" Another said.

"Why won't they stop!?" Ike yelled out. However, the world then fell silent as he stared down into the nothingness. There wasn't a single sound in the air. That was, until a roar split through it. "What was that?" He asked.

He looked over the edge to see a giant Beowolf launch out of the void and snap its jaws at him. The teen stumbled backwards and out of the way of the beast, only to land on his back. The creature's claws then sank into the ground in front of him and the creature hauled itself up to Beacon.

Ike looked up and looked the beast in the eyes as it stared back down at him. The creature towered over him. Ike's body told him to do one thing and one thing only. Run.

The teen sprang up to his feet as the creature let out a mighty roar. The beast the pulled itself up, now standing on the floating island, before giving chase. Ike ran for all his legs were worth, but his flee seemed to be in vain as the Beowolf got closer and closer and the safety of the school only got further away.

Blue could feel the beast's breath on his back. He could hear it snarling behind him and snapping its jaws at him. Then, it happened. The beast's jaws opened wide and surrounded Ike on both sides. Things seemed to move in slow motion as the beast's teeth began to approach the teen. He was ready to feel the teeth impale him and end his life. The were only feet away. Then inches. Then centimeters.

The teeth were just about to touch him, when Ike's eyes popped open and he found himself on the floor of a dark hallway. There were bars on the widows, except for the one closest to him. He looked around to see the cold stone walls and floor around him. "He's awake!" Summer said, happily.

"Where am I?" Ike asked.

"Wow, you must've hit your head harder than I though." Rideat commented.

"Hush!" Summer scolded. "Are you alright?" The woman asked.

"I think so." Blue replied.

"Can you stand?" Jame asked.

"Ya, just help me up." The younger brother replied. The older of the two then reached his hand down and hauled his brother to his feet.

Ike took a few unsteady steps forward, before becoming accustom to walking again. "Can you fight?" Summer asked.

"Ya. What happened to me?" Ike asked.

"Beats us. One second you were walking around just fine. The next, you were stumbling around and just passed out. You hit your head pretty hard too." The Faunas said.

"That would explain the headache." Ike said as he rubbed his head.

"If you can fight we need to move, now." The woman said.

"You're right. We need to end this. The longer we stay here the longer others have to fight." Ike said.

"Let's finish this then." James said with a confident smile.

"Do you think we're strong enough?" Ike asked.

"Alone, no. Together, yes. We're here for you Ike." Summer said.

"All of us." James added.

"Ya, we'll follow you to the end!" Rideat said.

"Good, cause we might be walking there pretty soon." Ike said. "And hopefully we'll be waking back."

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**Come on, did you really think I would end it with last chapter? Of course not, that would be terrible. Anyways, thanks to everyone who's submitted OCs. I don't think I need anymore. Anyways, don't forget to leave a review and send a PM. I'll see you next time! Bye!**


	50. Happy Holidays!

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm pretty fantastic myself, because it's Christmas! Anyways, I won't be posting a Christmas chapter this year, sorry. I've been extremely busy these past few weeks between applying for scholarships, putting together a portfolio for the School of Art, and a bunch of other stuff. Anyways, I hope you've been enjoying the holiday season and I wanted to wish you all a very Happy Holiday! I'll hopefully see you soon! Bye!**


	51. Chapter 25: And Back

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm pretty good myself. I recently got my ACT scores and got a 28! So that's pretty awesome. Also, before I forget, I'll be taking a two week break from writing. Why you might ask. Well, I have a bunch of scholarship applications to complete and other college stuff to do. Also, I'll be taking a break, because this is the final chapter for this story arc! Yay! So, when I get back and post again, we'll have moved into Volume 3 of RWBY. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the final chapter!**

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The sounds of a battle rang out through the halls of the fortress as team MMRS continued their search. Sounds of explosions, gunfire, and metal sounded in the air around them. However, they didn't make a sound as they moved on wards.

Ike and Summer pressed up on either side of one of the many hard oak doors, while James and Rideat did the same on the door across the hall. All four had their weapons drawn and ready to attack at a moment's notice. Ike looked towards the other pair and counted down from three on his fingers. His last finger then went down and he held up a closed fist.

He and James then turned to their respective doors. Ike lifted hit foot and slammed the bottom of his boot into the door, sending it flying off its hinges. James did the same with his fist, earning a similar result. Both pairs then flooded into the rooms and checked for anything inside. "Clear." Ike called out.

"Clear." James replied from his room, before both pairs exited their rooms.

"Move down the hall." Blue ordered. The other three then moved to the next set of doors and stacked up on the walls next to them. The four of them continued to do this as they moved down the hall.

"How many of these rooms are we going to have to check?" Rideat whispered.

"Until we find Vesh." Ike replied.

"Hello." A voice echoed off the walls. The four of them then crouched down and formed a square , ready to attack anything that moved. "While I've enjoyed your futile attempt to find me, this whole sneaking around thing is boring to watch. Please, just meet me at the top of the fortress. We'll end everything there."

"Well, that's convenient." Rideat said, still in formation.

"Don't let your guard down." Ike said. "This could be a trap. Let's start moving to the top."

The group then stood up and began to move towards the top of the fortress, weapons on a hair trigger.

"Do you really think he's up here?" The Faunus asked as the group carried on.

"We'll figure out soon enough." James replied.

"I'm guessing it's a trap." Summer said.

"It probably is, but we can't do anything other than just walk into it." Ike replied.

"What about if we just don't go up there?" Rideat asked.

"Then we won't beat Vesh and more people will just die fighting outside." The archer said.

"I guess you have a point." The Faunus replied.

"What about if we set up a trap for his trap?" James asked.

"Any ideas how we set up a trap for a trap?" Summer asked.

"I don't know, draw him in or something?" The man replied.

"Why don't we just walk up there and finish this?" Ike asked.

"That's a plan I can get behind." Rideat said happily.

"I suppose that's our best option." Summer added.

"Let's just hope we don't get ourselves killed here." The oldest Mers said.

The ground walked up the large spiral staircase that seemed to go on forever. Eventually, they could see a light coming from the top. Team MMRS continued to slowly walk up, proceeding even more cautiously as they approached the light. Eventually, they reached the top and stepped out onto the top of the fortress.

The group of four stepped out into the open air and felt the strong wind blow against them. The sounds of the battle down below filled the air. The roof was decorated with cannons, red pendants, wooden crates, and other various objects. The middle had a large opening at the top that led down to a courtyard below. Across from the opening, at the other end of the roof, sat a shadowed figure, its legs dangling off the edge.

The group had their weapons trained on him, but looked around making sure there were no traps waiting for them. The team split into two groups, Ike and James going onto the left of the hole, while Rideat and Summer moved to the right. As they reached about halfway around the opening, the shadowy figure spoke. "Welcome."

The team froze and was ready to attack. They could now see Vesh was looking down at the fight below him. The darkness that he consisted of seemed to be constantly moving and fading off of him, almost like a decaying Grimm. Eventually, the team continued moving forward.

They moved around the opening and stopped their approach only a few feet away from the evil teen. "You ever think this is where we'd be?" Vesh asked.

"What, stuck in my head, fighting myself? No, I didn't think I'd ever be here."

"No, I mean did you think this would be our final battle?" The evil teen asked as he turned around. His black form complete encased him, except for his pure red eyes. He looked like a human Creature of Grimm. "It seems like just yesterday I took over." Vesh said.

"Well it's today that you lose that control." Ike replied.

"Yes, I know." The evil half said.

"Wait, what?" James asked.

"I know this is the end for me. My fortress is under assault, I have nowhere to run, I have no power anymore. This is it. I'm one move away from my demise. I'm in check with nowhere to move my king safely."

"They why fight? Why not just give up?" Summer asked.

"Why would I? Did any of you simply give up when your final moments came? No, you fought till the end and so will I. I may not be able to win, but I can certainly cause some damage before I'm gone, and isn't that all we can do in our lives?"

"Is what all we can do?" Rideat asked.

"Just make a dent in things. No one person can change the world; no one person can end a war. It takes an army to change things, to make a difference. I'm just a single person, all I can do is make a dent now."

"Vesh, we both know this is over, just give up now and let's end this peacefully." Blue said.

"Like I said Ike." The evil half said as the shadow began to fade off of his, revealing a twin image of Ike, except for having pure black eyes. He then drew his bow and notched an arrow. "I can't do that. We both know that."

Ike sighed and drew his own bow. "Ya, I do."

"It's certainly been interesting." Vesh said, before aiming his arrow at the good half.

"That's a good word for it." Ike replied. Vesh then released his arrow, and the fight began.

Ike rolled to the side, dodging the projectile and firing his own. Vesh easily dodged the arrow and switched to his blades, but soon had Summer and Rideat closing in on him while the Mers brothers continued to fire at him.

Rideat slashed at him, which he ducked under and then took a slash at the back of the Faunus, but had his attack blocked by Summer's scythe. She caught the blade with the blade of her scythe and spun her weapon. Vesh was thrown off balance slightly and paid for it with a slash from Rideat and a bullet from James.

Summer then attempted to land a slash on the evil teen, but missed as he rolled forward. He then stabbed at Rideat, who batted the attack away with his baton. He then swept the Faunus's feet from out under him and kicked the teen away as he fell. The evil teen then jumped over a swing of Summer's scythe, planted his feet on the woman's weapon, and pushed off, rocketing himself over towards the Mers brothers.

Vesh landed with a roll and slashed at both of the brothers, who dove out of the way. Knowing that the brothers would be the easier pair to defeat, Vesh took an offensive approach this time.

He quickly isolated the two when James took a swing at him with his halberd and missed. He then received a strong kick to the stomach from Vesh, sending him skidding backwards. Vesh then charged Ike and led with a downward slash. Ike blocked the first slash and then blocked a second attack from his evil side.

However, he received an attack to the side of his head followed by an attack to his stomach. Vesh then rotated around the good teen and slashed once again only to be blocked before Ike launched a counter attack.

Blue slashed at Vesh's neck, only to be blocked. However, He destroyed that defense with an uppercut from his other blade. He then tried to stab into his opponent, but missed as Vesh ducked under the attack and rotated around the good teen, before delivering a powerful attack, sending the teen away from him.

James then reentered the fight after splitting his weapon into its rifle and axe form. Vesh led with a downward slash, but had his attack blocked by James's axe. James took advantage of the opening and attempted fired into the evil teen's chest with his assault rifle. Vesh was able to smack the rifle sideways, causing the man to miss his shots, but wasn't able to avoid a strong attack from the older brother's axe.

Rideat and Summer then joined the Mers brothers in their fight. Summer planted her scythe into the ground and spun around, before trying to kick Vesh out of the air. However, Vesh was able to change his weapon into its bow for and launch an explosive arrow at the woman. The arrow connected with where her weapon met the ground, unleashing an explosion and sending the woman flying away.

However, Rideat quickly closer the gap between the two and attempted to slash into Vesh. The evil teen blocked the attack with his bow and spun, trying to using his bow like a club. However, the Faunus rolled out of the way from the attack and attempted to stab his baton into his foe. Vesh smacked the weapon out of the way and spun, before slamming his bow into the teen's head.

As Rideat was sent soaring towards him, Ike slid under the Faunus to continued his charge at the enemy. Rideat was able to unleash a fireball from his hand, aiming it at Vesh but only able to land at the target's feet. The Faunus then slammed into the ground, skipped a few time, before slamming into the side of a cannon, causing his aura to drop completely and making him to be too weak to continue fighting.

Flames erupted in front of Vesh, giving Ike cover to charge at his other half. The teen jumped into the air and tried landing a heel slam into his foe's head, but Vesh turned just in time to block with his bow. Ike pushed off the bow and landed back on the ground after preforming a backflip.

Vesh rushed at Ike, changing his weapon's form along the way. The two halves the reached each other, their blades clashing together. However, Vesh spun to Ike's side, and kicked his feet out from under him. Ike was turned completely flat in the air, defenseless as he fell. Vesh prepared to strike the teen down with his blades, but was stopped as James shoulder checked him.

Vesh returned to his feet in time to see the older brother charging at him. James sprayed bullets out of his rifle as he approached the evil teen. Vesh dodged to the side, avoiding the projectiles. James then reached the evil teen and slashed his axe at him, only for Vesh to dodge to the side and land a strong attack to James's back with his own weapon. James was then kicked in the side while on the ground, sending him skidding across the ground until he collided with the wall around the roof of the fortress. His aura was depleted completely, and he too was too weak to continue to fight.

James was forced to the ground, but Vesh didn't have time to rest as Summer and Ike were already on top of him. Ike led the charge with a barrage of slashes, which Vesh blocked. However, he wasn't able to block a bullet from Summer.

The woman then sprinted forward, closing the gap in between the two before Vesh even released what was happening. She then skidded to a stop and fired a shot from her weapon. The recoil caused it to spin in a circle, slashing into Vesh as it went. She then twisted her wrist and jumped into the air, carrying the spin of her weapon but changing its direction from horizontal to vertical, continuously slashing into the evil teen. She ended her attack on Vesh by stopping her weapon and firing behind her. She was launched forward, slicing into Vesh's legs and sweeping his feet from out under him.

Ike capitalized on this and slashed into Vesh's stomach as he fell. Ike's attack carried Vesh into the ground with extra momentum, causing him to hit the ground and bounce back up. Ike then punted Vesh back up into the air, before jumping upwards himself.

The two teens reached the peaks of their time in the air, with Ike being higher up. The good archer then notched an explosive arrow and fired into Vesh. The arrow hit Vesh as he fell, exploding on the evil teen and sending him back to the ground at an extremely fast speed.

Vesh slammed into the ground, where his force broke through the floor of the roof and onto the floor below. Ike landed on the ground with a roll and looked down into the hole. Broken bricks and rubble lay around the evil teen. Summer soon joined Ike and looked down at Vesh as well. James and Rideat joined the other two but moved slower.

"Well, is it over?" James asked.

"I think so." Ike replied. "I think we're done here."

"So, this is it then." Summer said.

"Not quite." Vesh spoke from below.

The group of four looked down at him. He was broken and defeated. Ike jumped down into the hole followed by the others. "What do you mean?" Blue asked.

"I mean this isn't over. I'm part of you. You can never truly defeat me."

"We'll see about that." Rideat said as he began approaching Vesh, but he was stopped by James.

"No, he's right." The older brother said.

"What're you talking about?" Ike asked. "Are you telling me this was all for nothing?"

"No, I'm not saying that, but he's always been a part of you." James said.

"You simply gave me life." Vesh said to Ike.

"He represents your fear, your anger, your sadness, your despair. He's always been a part of you, only you've made his stronger and stronger as the years passed, until he was strong enough to take a form, to do something."

"But you can never get rid of me. You couldn't even live without me." Vesh said.

"But you can keep him weak. If you don't feed him, he won't be able to become strong. He won't have power. He is like the Grimm. He too feeds off of fear and hatred. Don't let it control you." The older brother said.

"So, I guess this is it then." Ike said. "Thank you guys, for everything."

"Ehh, don't mention it." Rideat replied happily.

"We should be thanking you." Summer said.

"Ya, without you organizing everything, we'd still be defending the small piece of the world we had left." James added.

"You know, I'm really going to miss you guys." Ike said.

"We're going to miss you too." James said as he gave his brother a quick hug.

"But don't worry, you always have us in your head." Rideat added as he poked Blue's head.

"We'll always be here for you." Summer said before hugging the teen as well. "Take care of Ruby, okay?"

"Don't worry I will." Ike replied.

After a brief moment of silence, James said, "Alright, let's finish this."

Ike simply nodded in agreement before drawing his bow and notching an arrow. He then drew the arrow back and aimed at Vesh. "Goodbye." He said.

"Don't you worry, I'll return." Vesh replied with a broken and evil smile.

"No, you won't." Ike replied, before releasing the arrow. The projectile flew through the air and stuck into the evil half. Vesh let out a small groan of pain, before he fell back, lifeless. His body then began to disintegrate into the air and Ike felt himself getting weaker. Ike then turned and looked at his friends, before saying, "Bye guys."

Before he could hear a response, Ike lost conciseness and fell to the ground. He hoped this would be the last time he would do so.

**-Into the Real World!-**

Ike's eyes opened slightly and then closed as the light coming through the window shined brightly into them. He carefully opened his eyes open and allowed them to get readjusted to the light. He shaded his eyes from the light with his hand and sat up in the chair he was sitting in. He then glanced around himself to see he was still sitting in the clock styled office of Professor Ozpin. "Good morning, Mr. Mers." The voice of Ozpin said as he walked behind his desk and sat down, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Morning." Ike replied groggily

"So, I assume your mission was a success." Ozpin said.

"Yes, it was. It's over. I beat him." Ike replied with a smile.

"Excellent. I'm happy to hear that." Ozpin said with a hint of a smile.

"How long have I been away?" The archer asked.

"Only a few days." Ozpin replied. "Now, I assume you want to see Miss Rose as well as the rest of your friends."

"Yes." Ike answered.

Ike sat down on one of the benches outside of Professor Port's class and waited. As he waited, he thought back on his time inside his head. He thought of the good times, the bad times, and everything in between. He realized that in a way, he was glad that this all happened to him. He was able to see his brother again, meet new friends, he even met his girlfriend's mother. While he would never want to go back and do it all again, he was glad he got to see all of those people, even if they were just memories.

Ike's thoughts then turned to Ruby. The little red haired Grimm Reaper he called his girlfriend. He remembered all the good times he had with her. That's when he realized something. He was in love with her.

His train of thought was then interrupted by the bell ringing, signaling that class was over. Students flooded out of the doors of Port's classroom and soon enough, behind everyone as always, team RWBY stepped out.

Yang saw the blue haired teen on the bench and smiled. She then poked Ruby's shoulder. "What?" The younger girl asked. Yang simply pointed over at Ike. The red clad girl followed Yang's finger and saw her boyfriend sitting on a bench, a wide smile of his face. "Ike?" She asked with a hint of disbelief.

Ike simply stood up and opened up his arms, before Ruby sprinted into them and hugged the teen. Ike wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. Ruby eventually looked up and his and the two shared a kiss, before going to hugging each other. With her head buried into his shoulder and his next to hers, Ike said, "I love you, Ruby."

The girl once again looked up at him and replied. "I love you too, Ike." They then shared another kiss, before going back to their embrace. "I'm so happy you're back." The girl said.

"I'm happy to be back." He replied.

Ike looked up to see the rest of team RWBY in front of him, all of them with smiles on their faces. It was there, that Ike realized this chapter of his life was finished. He was able to move on and away from Vesh. He was able to put another piece of his past away for good, and he was glad to be able to move on with his life. He was tired of living in the past. He was ready for his future.

* * *

**Aww, they love each other. What a nice and happy way to end it all. Anyways, I hope you've enjoyed this arc of the story. The whole idea for Vesh was born when I wrote the chapter where Ike was in the coma and inside his own head and what not. Before I leave, I do want to thank all of you so much for the support I've been getting from everyone and I want to give a shout out to Uneverjack, Neonswampy5, Jack Hunter, and my friend Havron for their OC submissions. All of their OCs will be appearing in tournament fights along with an OC tea that I've created. If you guys haven't, go check out their stories and give them some feedback and support. Also, I want to give a big shout out to The Baz for sending in his OC, Rideat and letting me write him into the story. Rideat was a fun character to use during the story and I'm so glad I was able to use him. Anyways, this is a super long AN and I should close it here. Don't forget to send me a PM or leave a review while I'm on my break to give me a bit of motivation while I'm filling out a bunch of forms and what not. Thank you all again for all the support. I'll see you all in a few weeks. Bye!**


	52. Intro: Season 3

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm doing great myself and I'm happy to start the third arc of VoB. Before I start, I want to give a quick shout out to Buruan Bose for letting me use his OC, he's in this chapter. Also, Buruan will be the newest beta reader for this story, so I wanted to thank him for that. Anyways, without further ado, enjoy!**

* * *

Ike dove over another bullet fired by his opponent. He then notched a fire arrow and launched it at his opponent's feet. The brown haired wolf faunus jumped backwards, switching from his long rifle to his sword, which was shaped like a rapier but had the curve of a cutlass. The wolf's silver eyes held the reflection of the flames in them while the dust powered fire singed his messy brown hair slightly.

As Buruan shielded himself from the flames that were engulfing the stage, Ike jumped up into the air. He notched three regular arrows and fired down at his opponent. The faunus dodged backwards, but saw sent flying backwards as Ike slammed his heel into the ground into of Buruan.

Before the faunus could react to being sent backwards, Ike was upon him with a flurry of attacks from his own blades. Buruan was able to block and dodge most of the hits, but eventually received a strong slash to his leg. The faunus fell slightly off balance, giving Ike just enough time to slam a kick to Buruan's side, sending the wolf faunus into a wall and dropping his aura into the red.

"Buruan's aura has dropped into the red zone and can no longer battle. Ike Mers wins the fight." Professor Goodwitch announced.

Ike walked over to the shorter teen and helped him back up to his feet. "Good fight." The blue haired teen said.

"Thanks, you too." Buruan replied. "I can't wait for a second round."

"Any time you want to, I'm ready." Ike replied as the two walked off the stage.

The bell then rang, signaling the end of Glynda's class. "Don't forget, the Vytal Festival Tournament is almost here. Continue practicing and hone your skills as a team. You will all be representing Beacon." The professor said as the students gathered their belonging and began filing out of the classroom.

"Ya, everyone except me." Ike grumbled more to himself than anyone. As he walked over towards his seat and grabbed his belongings.

"Aww, come on Ike. It's not like Ozpin had a choice." Ruby said, trying to cheer her boyfriend up.

"Ya, you don't really have a team." Yang added.

"Oh, nice to see I'm not part of this team." Ike said with mock anger.

"Is your name included in the team name, RWBY?" Blake asked.

"That depends on who you ask." The archer replied.

"If you ask professor Ozpin, or anyone in charge of the tournament, are you on team RWBY?" Weiss asked.

"No." Ike admitted.

"Then they won't let you fight with us." Blake said.

"Sorry." Ruby added innocently.

Ike sighed, still somewhat upset that he wouldn't be able to fight in the tournament. "If only three more students would've been accepted into Beacon."

"But then you might not have met me!" Red said cheerfully.

"Or any of us." Yellow added.

"I suppose you have a point. Life's funny that way, isn't it?" Blue replied.

"Yep." Ruby said, popping the 'P'. She then gave her boyfriend a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I doubt they'd let you fight in the tournament even if you had a team." White said.

"Why do you say that?" Mers replied.

"Well… you did just get back to normal." Ruby answered.

"They'd probably be worried that you wouldn't be strong enough to fight safely." Yang added.

"What do you mean? I just fought less than five minutes ago."

"But did you really?" Blake asked.

"And that means?" Mers asked.

"Well, unless that kid's semblance involved shooting a gun or swinging a sword, I doubt he went all out there."

"Even then, I think he was pulling a few punches." Weiss added.

"So I won because he was going easy on me?" Ike asked.

"No." Ruby said.

However, the blonde brawler replied, "Yes," at the same time.

"Great." Ike said. Ruby flashed her sister a short death glare, while Yang sent an apologetic one back.

"Ike, I don't think Yang means-" However, the faunus was cut off by Ike before she could finish.

"No, don't worry I know what she meant. I suppose it would be a bad idea to be fighting someone full boar right now."

"Exactly." Weiss said.

"Nobody wants you to get hurt as soon as you're returning to normal." Black added.

"I still wish I could fight in the tournament." Ike said. "But on the bright side, at least there's no way I'll miss any fights."

"Ya!" Yang said enthusiastically.

"We'll win for you." Blake added.

"Ya, we're going to kick major butt!" Ruby said with the same amount of enthusiasm as her sister.

Before Ike could reply, the loud crackle of the PA system turning on the cut through the air. "Would Ike Mers please report to Professor Ozpin's office?" Glynda's voice said, before the speakers went silent once again.

Ike sighed and said, "I'll catch up with you guys later." Before stopping and turning around as team RWBY said their goodbyes.

"How'd she get to the PA system so quickly?" Ruby asked the rest of her team, who all shrugged in reply.

"May it was magic." Yang replied.

"Magic?" Weiss asked, her voice saying how stupid she thought the blonde's suggestion was.

"Ya, maybe she's one of the Maidens." The blonde replied.

"Yes, because they're real." Blake said sarcastically as the team continued to walk towards their next class.

The elevator doors opened and Ozpin sat behind his desk, doing something on his scroll, and sipping his bottomless coffee cup. "Mr. Mers, please, have a seat." The headmaster said, without looking up from his work.

There was something comforting in the normality of the whole scene. Ozpin's consistent routine of work and coffee made Ike envious in a way. Normality was something his life lacked in abundance.

Blue sat down in the seat across from the desk of Ozpin, patiently waiting for the headmaster to speak first. He let his eyes glance over the papers that littered Ozpin's desks. Most seemed to be about missions or governmental jargon, the latter of which Atlas's name was mentioned quite frequently.

"Mr. Mers." Ozpin said as he set down his scroll. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, thank you for asking." Ike replied a bit more formal than usual.

"Would you say that you are in peak physical condition?"

"I suppose so. I haven't been feeling weak as of late."

"Yes, but do you think your body could handle the stress of a real battle."

"I assume it would." Ike replied, skepticism heavy in his voice. "Why do you ask?"

"As chance would have it, there may be a way for you to fight in the tournament." Ozpin said. This immediately caught Ike's attention.

"How would I be able to?"

"First I have to know if you believe you are strong enough to fight." Ozpin said.

"Yes, of course." Mers replied almost instantly.

"Are you positive? The last thing we would want is for you to get yourself hurt." The headmaster said.

"I assure you, I am ready to fight."

"Very well then. As you know, you do not have an actual team per say. This means that under normal circumstances you would not be able to participate in the Vytal Festival Tournament. However, the headmasters of the other schools of Vytal and I have come up with a solution to this… dilemma."

"And that solution is?" Ike asked eagerly.

"You see, other students from other combat schools have found themselves in similar situations as yours. With that in mind, we have decided to form a team using students from other schools. Are you willing to be part of this team?"

"Of course, anything to be able to fight in the tournament." Ike replied eagerly.

"Very well." Ozpin said. He then pressed a button on his phone and said, "Professor Goodwitch, please send in the others."

"Sending them up." Glynda replied.

The quiet ding of the elevator arriving dispersed throughout the room. Ike turned around and looked over his chair to see three other students walking out of the open doors.

The first one to step out was a large, dark skinned teen. He had a stern look on his face, much like the one Ironwood wore. He had big brown eyes and his hair was styled into a short, brown, flat top. He wore a white suit, which looked extremely similar to Ironwood's.

The next student to step out was a girl wearing tattered, hooded robes, which seemed fit for surviving in the desert. From what Ike could see of her face, she had a bored and somewhat uncaring look on her face. Her eyes were barely visible, due to her hood, but were a beautiful tan color, which matched her tanned skin. Wisps of her brown hair were visible, but it was impossible to see how long it was.

The final student that walked in had a wild smile on her face. The girl pale skin, which clashed with her red, unkempt hair. However, her white eyes seemed to fit perfectly with her complexion. The most obvious characteristic he had were two hyena ears popping out of her hair. She wore a black, knee length dress with a white jacket over it. The jacket had a few tears here and there, keeping her wild and unkempt look alive. She also wore knee high boots, reaching up to where her dress stopped. For some reason she looked familiar.

"Mr. Mers, meet your newest teammates. You three," The headmaster said to the three newcomers, "This is Ike Mers." The other three students stood next to Ike. On the faunus girl's jacket, Ike could see a black smiley face with the looks that the paint from it had ran down.

Ozpin first indicated to the large teen in the suit and said, "This is Lamar Nebula. He will be representing Atlas."

"Pleasure to meet you." He said in a deep voice and gave Ike a strong handshake.

Ozpin then looked at the girl in the robes and introduced her as well. "Nadia Una will be you're representative from Shade."

"Hi." The girl said is a small yet bored voice.

"And finally, Sapphire Dente will be your representative from Shade."

"Wait, did he say Dente?" Ike asked himself internally. He then looked over at the faunus girl and realized why she looked familiar, she looked like Rideat.

The thought of Ike's friend brought a small, yet sad smile to Ike's face. However, that smile was wiped off his face as the girl greeted him. "Hi!" She instantly exclaimed. Ike reached his hand out to she shakes, but was greeted with a bear hug instead. "I can already tell we're going to be the best of friends!" The girl said happily as she shook the poor blue haired teen around. "We can go shopping, and skydiving, and do all sorts of fun things."

Ike looked over at his other two new teammates for help, but got none. Lamar was only shaking his head in disappointment, while Nadia had a small smile on her face. "She did the same thing to me when we first met." The other girl said.

"She tried to do it to me, but couldn't pick me up." Lamar added.

"Mrs. Dente, would you please let Mr. Mers down so we can continue?" Ozpin requested with a hint of pleasure in his voice.

"Sure thing." She said, before dropping the blue haired teen, who promptly slammed face first into the ground. "Oops, sorry."

"Nah, its fine." Ike slurred as tiny stars circled his head. He then shook the stars away and tumbled back onto his feet.

"Now where was I?" Ozpin asked himself. "Oh, yes. As you four may have already noticed, you each hail from a different kingdom. This is no coincidence. This team will stand to show unity and friendship between our four nations. This means that you all have much more pressure on you to perform well. You four are to ensure that you work together as a team and show that you are stronger as a team than you would be alone. You four are representing the bonds of nations. Please, do not disappoint us."

"We won't." Nebula said.

"What makes you so sure?" Sapphire replied. "Lots of things could go wrong. We could lose, we could hurt one another, we could…" Ike then covered the girl's mouth with his hand, muffling whatever else she was saying.

"Please, just get this over with." Ike asked the headmaster, exasperated over the muffled voice of Dente.

"Very well." Ozpin said with a sigh. "From this day forward, you four will work together as team MNSN **(Pronounced Monsoon)**. Seeing as Vale is hosting this year's Vytal Festival, the other headmasters and myself have agreed to let Ike Mers led this team."

"What?!" Lamar and Nadia said together.

"Yay! Ike's the leader!" Sapphire cheered.

"Oh great." Ike said.

"I extend my best wishes to you four and look forward to how you perform in the tournament." The headmaster said.

Ike looked at his three new teammates. Sapphire had a giant smile and clapped happily, while the other two shot him dirty looks.

"Great, this is what I needed." Ike thought to himself.

* * *

**Yay, team MNSN! Yes, this is a team of OCs I created and will be working with during this arc. I was originally going to have this story be an OC team, and I'm happy to finally be able to showcase my own team. Of course, I wouldn't have had the idea for Sapphire without The Baz, so thanks to him for letting me give Rideat a sister. Anyways, I hope you're all excited for the start of this arc. Don't forget to leave a review and send me a PM so I can talk to you. Bye!**


	53. Season 3: Chapter 1: Fight!

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I've been better, but let's not talk about that. Before I start, I want to give a big shout out Uneverjack for allowing me to use his OC team in this chapter. If you haven't already, be sure to go check out his story and show him the same love you've showed me. Anyways, onto Season 3!**

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Only the sound of a small breeze filled the air as Ike stood on the edge of the forest. Rose petals fluttered through the air as the wind passed by his girlfriend, who stood yards in front of him near the edge of the cliff. "How often does she usually do this?" Ike asked as a man walked up next to him.

"For her, probably not enough." The man replied, his yellow hair moving slightly in the wind.

"I know the feeling." The teen replied.

"I know you're just standing back here, but you coming here with us means a lot to her. So, thanks."

"She'd do the same for me." Ike replied.

"I hope she would."

"I know it isn't easy for you coming here either." Blue said.

"No, you're right, it isn't."

"If you wanted to, you could go say a few words."

"No, I left my past behind me. Those days are over."

"I wish I could say the same." Ike replied. "Do you ever miss her?"

"Do you ever miss the ones you've lost?" Taiyang replied, answering a question with a question.

"Every day."

"Then you know how I feel too." After a brief pause, Taiyang said, "I'm sure she doesn't regret the choices she made though."

"What makes you say that?"

"Summer knew what she was signing up for when she became a Huntress, we all did."

"That doesn't make this any easier though, does it?"

"No, it doesn't." The man replied. "I just hope Ruby and Yang know what they signed up for."

"I'm sure they do."

"I just don't know some times. It seems like they think the whole world is just a fairytale and that in the end, everything will sort itself out."

"Do you wish they saw it in any other way?"

"No, I don't. Innocence is such a hard thing to come by in this world. Too often childhoods are ripped away from children."

"I know that feeling." Ike said sadly.

"I'm sure you do." Taiyang replied. "Too many of us do."

Zwei then let out a bark, drawing Ruby's attention. The girl then pulled her hood over her head and started jogging back towards the too. However, she then stopped turned around, and said something else, before moving back towards them.

"Ready to go?" Taiyang asked the girl as she reached them.

"Yep." Ruby replied simply. The trio then began to walk back towards the forest, but Ike stopped and looked back over his shoulder towards the cliff. He saw six birds flying towards the sun and smiled to himself.

"I wish I could've known you." Ike thought to himself as he looked out at the grave stone.

"Ike, you coming?" Ruby asked.

"Ya." He replied simply as he turned back around and jogged to catch up with the other two.

The giant screens above them spun on all four corners of the arena. The first one stopped showing a wind symbol. Ike heard the sound of mechanisms whirling to life behind his as the floor opened up. Ike looked behind him for only a moment and saw floating islands rising up above an open ground. "If I fall there, I'm out of this fight." He thought to himself. However, his thoughts were then interrupted as the next corner's spinner chimed, signaling it had chosen a biome as well. Ike looked over at the corner to see a mesh of destroyed buildings rising from the ground there. The third corner then chimed as a frozen wasteland rose from the ground. The fourth and final corner chimed. A wheat field rose from the ground in this corner.

"No home field advantage for us." Sapphire said, somewhat disappointed.

"Sure, I'm sure the leader over here will be just fine on those floating islands." Nadia said, spitting out the word leader.

"Would you stop with the leader talk? It doesn't matter who's the leader, it's a meaningless title anyways." Ike replied. "It's not like any of you are going to listen to me anyways." The teen said under his breath.

"I will!" Sapphire said, cheerful as ever.

"Thank you, Sapphire." Blue said, exasperated.

"Aren't you wondering how I heard you?" She asked.

"You have hyena ears." Lamar answered. "Also, he wasn't that quiet."

"Can we please just focus on the fight?"

"Do you really think this leader thing doesn't matter?" Nadia asked.

"No, I don't." The archer replied.

"Thanks because you're the leader." Nebula said.

"It doesn't matter!" The Beacon student insisted.

"It will when they announce your name first as the leader of the team that won." Lamar said.

"We won't win if we-" Ike was saying, before he saw a projectile coming directly towards him. Blue dove to the right, colliding with Nadia and landing on top of her.

"At least buy her dinner first." Lamar said with a smirk.

"Hey! Stop flirting with my boyfriend!" Ike heard Ruby yell from the stands.

"Thank you, Ruby." Ike said to himself as he pushed himself off of Nadia, though she gave him a little help with a kick.

Ike stood onto his own two feet and turned his attention away from his dysfunctional team and towards where the projectile came from.

Across from him, he saw a pale, blonde faunus girl holding a bow in her hands. She wore a black cloak and loose jeans. Next to her stood a giant of a man with dark, brown hair wearing a grey tank top, who wielded a long staff with axe blades at the ends. The next opponent was a girl with white hair pulled back into a pony tail wearing a long sleeved top and holding two short katanas. The final enemy team member was an averaged height boy with short brown hair. He wore a grey over coat with a black shirt under it and had two swords strapped to his thighs, however, Ike also noticed he wore metal gauntlets.

"Are you ready?" The big teen on the other side boomed.

"Not really! Can you give us a minute?" Sapphire responded.

"Be quiet." Lamar scolded. "Yes, we are ready. We've been waiting for you." The Atlas student lied.

"Really, because it seems like you're having some…" The faunus girl said, looking for the right word.

"It looks like you four would trip over your own shoe laces." The boy in the overcoat said.

"Hey! I haven't tripped over my shoelaces in days!" Dente argued.

"Days?" The white haired girl asked.

"Yep, days." The hyena replied.

"How stupid are you?" Nadia asked.

"It seems to vary." Lamar answered.

The sound of Professor Port clearing his throat then came over the speaker. "I'd like you remind you all that this is a tournament fight."

"Yes! So that means fight!" Oobleck added.

"The fight started?" Sapphire asked.

"No, they shot an arrow at us for no reason." Nadia snarked.

"Really?" The faunus girl asked.

"No." Una replied.

"You have three seconds to do something before we just charge at you." The big teen on the other team said.

"Look, just stick together and-" Ike began to say, before Sapphire rushed over towards their opponents. "Great, don't listen to me, whatever."

"Yes, because you had such a great idea." The robed girl said, before following the faunus girl into battle.

"For what it's worth, sticking together was my plan too." Nebula said.

"Thanks, it's not worth a whole lot though." Ike said as he began towards the fight.

"I figured it wouldn't be."

Ike quickly retreated to the floating islands, but looked over his shoulder to see the faunus girl fire another arrow at him. Ike ducked under the arrow and jumped onto one of the floating rocks. He felt himself get sucked into the rock and his feet were pulled into the side of the islands where they stayed. "Each rock has its own gravity, huh?" Ike thought. However his thoughts were interrupted by another arrow coming towards him. Ike dove to the side, dodging the projectile and firing one of his own.

The girl sidestepped the arrow and took aim at her opponent. "Have fun finding me!" Ike called out as he began to jump from rock to rock, breaking the girl's line of sight, who growled in anger.

Ike continued to bounce of the rocks, confident in his plan, but soon lost that confidence as the sound of a small engine filled the air. He stopped and turn to see the girl flying towards him, a jetpack strapped to her back. The girl fired three more arrows at Ike, which he dodged. However, he was soon hit in the side by a spear, which the girl now held in her hands.

Ike quickly recovered from the hit and heard Port announce, "And Ike Mers takes a huge hit from Lindsay of team FLME!"

"Thank you, Port." Ike said to himself. "Really? A jet pack?"

"Gotta be prepared." She said. She then landed on a rock in line with Ike and switched her weapon into a sniper rifle. Ike saw this and began moving to his right, however, he was soon hit by a bullet from the girl.

Ike was knocked sideways by the bullet, but was fortunately pushed out of sight of the girl. "How'd she aim so fast?" Blue thought.

"It seems Lindsay is using her semblance to her advantage." Port announced.

"Yes, she is able to perceive the world around her at half the speed it actually moves, allowing her to easily aim."

"This is bad." Ike thought as another bullet slammed into the rock he was hiding on.

However, he then heard the sound of rapid fire, followed by a large explosion. Ike peered over the crest of the rock and saw Lamar spraying bullets at Lindsay. Ike's eyes quickly landed on Nebula's weapon as the bullets flowed from it. He wielded an extremely large tonfa. One end extended up to his shoulder and had large metal protrusions, making it a dangerous club. The other end had a set of Gatling gun barrels circled around a large barrel, which fired an explosive out of it. The menacing weapon was amplified by three large blades extending from the gun's end.

Lindsay landed on another rock only for an explosive launched by Lamar to collide with it, sending the girl flying away. Ike used this to his advantage and fired an ice arrow into the girl's jetpack, hitting his mark. Lindsay went to activate her jetpack, but found it wasn't working. By the time she began to notice the world around her, Ike had already launched himself at her.

Lamar continued to spew bullets at the girl, until the big man from team FLME attacked him. However, as the other giant attacked Lamar, he was stopped by Nadia's shield. The girl's shield then drew back towards her. Lamar dove backwards to avoid a second attack and stood up next to his teammate. He quickly stole a glance at her shield. It was a circular shield with three blades around the edge. The blades then came to life, spinning like a chainsaw. The girl threw the shield, revealing a cord attached the handle to the shield itself. The giant on the other team blocked the attack with his staff, letting the shield bounce off harmlessly and back towards its owner. "Well?" Una asked.

"Well what?" Lamar replied.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to help?" She asked.

"I'll choose the second option." Lamar said, before letting another explosive attack fly from his weapon.

The big man dove to the side, dodging the attack, and continued to run as a trail of bullets stuck to his heels. However, as Lamar unleashed bullets, he felt a wind blow past him. He then let go of the trigger and ducked. Another gust of wind blew over his head, moving his hair slightly.

Nadia, in response, then threw her shield towards where the wind came from. A loud metallic sound rang out as her bladed shield stopped in midair. The white haired girl from team FLME flew backwards, but landed gracefully on the ground. "It appears Elizabeth Icegem's semblance wasn't able to fool Miss Una." Port announced.

Lamar then spun his weapon around and slammed his weapon down towards the big man from team FLME. However, the staff wielding man blocked the attack and redirected it towards the ground, letting Nebula's tonfa smash into the ground.

The big man then rushed Nadia and swung his bladed staff at her, which she blocked. He then switched his grip and spun his weapon, slamming it down on top of Una. She blocked this as well, but was unable to stop her opponent from changing his weapon into its shotgun form and firing into her, sending her flying through the air. The big man's attack came at a cost though as Lamar slammed the bladed end of his weapon into his opponent's back, sending him flying upwards. Lamar then unleashed a torrent of bullets into his opponent, before firing off an explosive shot into him, sending the big man out of the arena.

As Nadia flew through the air, Lindsay flew over her, firing an around into her stomach as she passed over. The fourth member of team FLME then broke through the wheat fields. Nadia was able to put her shield out in front of her as the teen in the black coat smashed both of his katanas into her, sending her into a wall of the run down building and dropping her aura into the red zone. "And team leader FLME knocks out Nadia Una, but not without losing his own teammate first." Port announced.

"Where are you going?" Sapphire yelled out as she rushed out of the wheat field behind Flame. However, she then saw a blade be swung towards her head. Sapphire raised her hand and caught the blade, showing off her weapons. She wore a pair of metal gauntlets, both with razor sharp claws on them. Sapphire then ripped the blade out of her attacker's, Elizabeth's hand. Icegem then rolled backwards and away from her attacker, but didn't expect another attack from the faunus. Dente raised her hands, showing an opening in her gauntlets. Out of the openings, two ice dust charges were fire, freezing Icegem in her place.

Before the white haired girl could attempt to free herself, Ike had launched himself away from the floating islands, back towards the middle of the arena. He then sliced into Elizabeth as he passed and connected a kick to her jaw, breaking the ice and sending her upwards. Ike then threw Sapphire into the air, allowing her to land a series of fury swipes on Icegem, before sending her back into the ground. The white haired girl slammed into the ground, dropping her aura into the red zone.

Meanwhile, Lamar blocked an attack from Flame, until receiving a sniper shot directly into his chest, sending him flying backwards and over to his team. Lamar skidded to a stop and returned to his feet next to Sapphire and Ike. Across from them, Flame and Lindsay stood, ready to fight. "So, we're back here?" Flame asked.

"Looks like it." Ike replied.

"Ya, but know we have a numbers advantage!" Sapphire boasted, before sticking out her tongue.

"Well that's mature." Lamar pointed out.

Before anyone could make a remark, Sapphire charged into the battle once again. She raised her arm and swung down, aiming at Flame, who blocked with a shield that formed off of his gauntlet. Lindsay then switched to her spear and stabbed into the faunus. As Sapphire flew to the side, Flame pulled a flintlock pistol out of the inside of the gauntlet and attempted to fire into the girl. However, Ike quickly stepped in between the shot and received the bullet himself.

Lamar then shoulder checked the teen in the coat and slammed his tonfa like a club into the girl, sending them both into the wheat field. Sapphire quickly returned to her feet and chased the two into the field. The girl stalked her prey as they scanned for any indication of life around them.

A fireball then exploded behind them, igniting the field in a blaze. Lindsay activated her jet pack and flew above the field, but soon payed for her move as Ike propelled himself upwards and to her level. The blue haired teen sliced into her as he passed her and then planted his feet firmly on her shoulders, before jumping off of her and sending her plummeting back towards the ground.

Meanwhile, Flame fell for the fire distraction and soon felt the consequences as Sapphire struck at her prey. She sank her claws into Flame's back as she ran passed him and then pounced on him, slashing into the poor teen. She jumped away from her prey and ran out of the field just in time for his teammate to slam down on top of him.

As the hyena appeared out of the field, Lamar unleashed a torrent of bullets into the field, cutting down the wheat and landing hits on his opponents. Before F and L could move, both of them had their feet frozen to the ground by a dust arrow from Ike. They could only watch as the two male members of the enemy team fired explosives at them, landing direct hits and sending them flying away.

"And that's it!" Port called out. "All members of team FLME have been eliminated, team MNSN are the victors!"

The crowd let out a thunderous applause as Ike let out a sigh of relief, Lamar smirked slightly, and Sapphire cheered for herself and her team happily.

"This might just work." Ike thought to himself as he smiled about his victory.

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**And that's that. Yet again, I want to thank Uneverjack for his OC submission. Before I leave, I do want to talk a bit about where I'll be taking the story this season. I'm going to try to stay on an every other Friday release schedule, but no promises. Also, I am going to go into Ike's past a bit more than I have previously, especially with his father. I dropped a little hint about his dad, but Reef will become a bigger character. Also, I'll be continuing with the Vered story this season as well as keeping the dark theme that the actual show has picked up. Anyways, this has been a long AN. I'm extremely excited to be back and writing again. Be sure to PM me any questions you have, because I introduced a lot of next weapons and stuff in this chapter. Also, leave a review so I can read your feedback. I'd really appreciate a few positive messages, just because this week hasn't been all that great for me. Anyways, I'll see you in the next chapter. Bye! **


	54. Chapter 2: Recovery

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I guess I'm not terrible. Anyways, sorry this chapter is a bit late. I like posting on Fridays, but college stuff got in the way of that and it's been a busy past few days. But, I'm here now, so I hope you all enjoy!**

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"Ya! We're so awesome! We came, we saw, we kicked their butts! They didn't stand a chance!" Sapphire said excitedly as team MNSN walked down the street lined with various vendors there for the tournament.

"We did do pretty well." Ike agreed.

"What are you two talking about? That was a train wreck." Nadia said, somewhat bitterly.

"We won, didn't we?" Mers replied.

"I'm amazed that we did." Lamar added. "We didn't even work as a team, it was just four people running around fighting four other people."

"Look, we haven't had a lot of time to work as a team. I think we should celebrate our first win as a team." Blue said.

"What we need to be doing is working on a plan for next time. Just running out into battle isn't going to work." Una said.

Nebula scoffed and said, "Your one to talk. You ran out into the battle just as soon as Sapphire did."

"And I fought wonderfully." Dente said, complimenting herself.

"You fought recklessly." Nadia replied.

"At least I didn't get knocked out." Sapphire replied, with a cocky smile.

"I got knocked out because the not-so-friendly giant over here couldn't hold up in a fight. And as for you," Nadia said, looking over at Lamar. "I only rushed into battle because this overactive hyena charged in. By that point the whole 'Say together' thing was screwed."

"Oh, so it's my fault that you got knocked out, is it?" Lamar asked.

"In a way, yes. Maybe you won't let someone get passed you so easily next time and I won't get knocked out."

"I only rushed in because we didn't come up with a plan before we went into the fight!" Sapphire yelled, defending herself.

"We had a plan! You just didn't listen to it!" Nadia yelled back.

"As if you did. You only want to go along with something if it's your idea we're following." Lamar said.

"That's because everyone else's ideas are idiotic!" The girl from Shade said.

"And you're just full of good ideas, aren't you?" The big man replied.

"Would you three shut up?!" Ike yelled out, annoyed at the argument going on around him. "Who cares if the fight was a train wreck, we won, didn't we? So let's just move on with it and figure out what we're going to do next round."

"And what are we going to do next round?" Nadia asked.

"What do you mean?" Sapphire asked.

"Our next fight is a 2 vs 2. That means that only two of us can fight." Lamar said.

"Well, I say that Ike should fight for us." Dente said cheerfully.

"Agreed." Una instantly said.

"What?" Ike asked.

"They're right. You handled yourself well last fight. Plus, you capitalized on a lot of the openings we created on our opponents without us having to tell you to do so." Lamar added.

"Well, thanks guys, but who else is going to fight?" Mers asked.

"I think you should probably choose." Nadia said.

"You'll know who's going to work the best with you." Lamar said. "Though, I certainly don't think it should be myself."

"You don't?" Ike asked.

"He's too slow." Sapphire pointed out.

Lamar gritted his teeth at the girl's commented, but said, "I hate to agree with her, but she's right. You'd work best with someone who could keep up with you."

"I could keep up." Sapphire said happily.

"I'm sure you could, but you fight too similarly to me." Ike said. "I think it'd be best to have Nadia with me."

"I guess it's decided then." Lamar said.

"I'm so excited! You two are going to be amazing out there!" Dente said with her normal amount of energy.

"We have a lot to work on before the fight, but I'm sure we'll be able to work well together." Una said.

"I certainly hope so." Ike said, glad his team was at least getting along with each other somewhat.

"Hey guys." Ike said as he sat down at a noodle shop where teams RWBY and JNPR already sat. The rest of his team was close behind as they sat down next to them.

"Ike!" Ruby said, before disappearing in a flash and appearing next to him within a second. Ike simply smiled at the girl and gave her a quick kiss. "Your fight was amazing."

"That depends on who you ask." Lamar said.

"Can we please not get into this again?" Ike asked.

"I don't see why we should either." Nadia added.

"Issues with the team already?" Ruby whispered to her boyfriend.

"That's an understatement." He whispered back. "But, I think we're moving in the right direction."

"Ahem." Yang said loudly as she cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention to her. "So, Ike. Are you going to introduce us to your friends?"

Ike looked from the blonde brawler and then down the row of his teammates, only to receive blank stares back. "Sure. Everyone, this is Nadia Una," Ike began. The girl gave a small wave at being introduced. "Lamar Nebula," The big teen then gave a nod as a greeting. "and Sapphire Dente."

"Hello!" The girl said in a mix of singing and booming out her greeting.

"This is my girlfriend, Ruby."

"Hi." The young girl said.

"And her team, which consists of her sister Yang, Blake, and Weiss." The three girls each gave their individual greeting.

"Weiss? That name sounds familiar. You wouldn't happen to be Weiss Schnee, would you?" Lamar asked.

"Actually, yes. How did you know?" The heiress asked.

"Lamar is from Atlas." Ike answered.

"Yes, it's hard not to hear about the Schnee's in Atlas." The big teen said.

"Or anywhere else for that matter." Nadia added. "Your questionable business practices aren't a very well hidden secret."

"She sounds like Blake." Ruby whispered to her boyfriend.

"And that's not a good thing." He whispered back. "Anyways, that's team JNPR." Blue announced, steering the conversation away from the Schnee business. "Their leader is Jaune, and that's Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren." Ike said. Jaune, having eaten far too much, gave a weak wave in return and keep his head against the table. Nora, on the other hand, let out a loud blech, shaking the ground around them.

"Wooh, good one!" Sapphire replied cheerfully.

"Please, that's nothing. There was this one time that Ren made burritos. I was able to shake the windows down the hall after that." The orange haired girl replied with an equal amount of enthusiasm.

"That's disgusting." Nadia replied easily.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Jaune added, though Ike doubted Nora's story was the cause.

"Oh! Aim it at the enemy!" Nora replied, with an evil look on her face.

"On second thought, I think I'd prefer to return to the burrito story." Una said.

"I second that motion." Weiss added.

"You choose to be around these people?" Lamar asked Ike as Ren told Jaune that if he had the urge, just as Jaune cut him off.

"They actually start to grow on you." Blue replied.

"I hope you're talking about the people themselves and not anything that is most likely growing on the girl." Nadia added to the conversation.

"Anyways, Pyrrha, I assume you're the Pyrrha Nikos." Lamar said.

"Yes, I am actually." Pyrrha replied, though it sounded like she was admitting it more than anything.

"Is she famous too?" Sapphire asked Nadia, who sat next to her.

"Aren't you supposed to be from Mistral?" Una replied.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean anything." Dente replied.

"She's on the front of the Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes boxes." Jaune said, his face still buried in the table.

"That's you!?" Sapphire exclaimed.

"I now understand where the energy come from." Nadia said.

"We should really put her on a diet." Lamar added.

"Well, we should be off." Pyrrha said as she stood up from her seat.

"So you think you guys are ready?" Ruby asked.

"Of course!" The orange haired girl said. "We have a world renown fighter on our team, what's basically a ninja, I can bench five of me, and Jaune! We've trained all year, our weapons are awesome, Glynda barely yells at us anymore, and uh… Jaune!"

"Are you going to take that?" Ren asked.

"She's not wrong." Jaune replied.

"I get the feeling Jaune isn't the best fighter." Lamar whispered to his male teammate.

"That feeling isn't entirely wrong." Said male teammate replied.

"I'm kidding! He knows I'm kidding!" Nora said.

"I doubt she's kidding." Nadia added.

"Don't be so nervous." Nora said, continuing her monologue, which would most likely only damage her leader's ego even more. "The worst that could happen is that we lose. Then it's just a few more years of walking around school with everyone knowing we're failures." It was after this point that Nora began talking faster and faster to the point where Ike could no longer understand what she was saying.

"Did anyone catch that?" Nadia asked.

"Nope." Sapphire said, popping the P.

"I did not." Lamar replied.

"Sure didn't." Ike added.

"Good, so I'm not the only one then." The girl from Shade said.

Nora's little speech then ended in sobs, to which Ren sarcastically said, "So, ya. We're feeling pretty good."

"Don't fret." Pyrrha said as she placed a hand on Jaune and Nora's backs. "If anything, we should be looking forward to a fight with actual guidelines and not… well, murderers."

"Murderers?" Lamar asked.

"Well, there was any time we met with Vered." Ike started.

"And Vesh." Ruby added.

"And Grimm invasions, violent extremests, a destructive sociopath." Blake added.

"And that's all while we were still in training! Oh, imagine what it'll be like when we graduate!" Ruby said happily.

"Be careful what you wish for." Nadia warned.

"That sounds awesome!" Sapphire boomed. "I'm going to the wrong school. Nothing ever happens over in Mistral. Ike, how long do you think it would take to get transferred to Beacon? Oh, I have an idea! Let's all transfer to Beacon! Then we'll always be team MNSN! And then we can go around fighting bad guys and-" The girl was then cut off by Nadia covering the hyena's mouth with her hand, causing anything else the hyperactive girl said to be muffled.

"I like that idea!" Nora added. "I'll go ask Ozpin right away!" Nora said as she began to stand up.

The intercom then began to shriek as it was turned on. "Would Team JNPR please report to the battle grounds immediately." Port's voice said.

"Yes! Like they were scheduled to, several minutes ago?" Oobleck added.

"I think you have a prior engagement." Weiss said.

"Thank Monty." Nadia said to herself.

"Well, it looks like this is it." Pyrrha said as she began to walk away, followed by the rest of her team.

"Go get 'em!" Ruby said cheerfully.

"Should we began heading towards the battle grounds?" Nadia asked.

"Ya! I want to see more fighting!" Sapphire answered.

"Care to join us?" Ike asked Team RWBY.

"I don't see why not." Yang answered as she got up from her seat, followed by the rest of her team.

"So, who will be fighting for your team?" Weiss asked as the two teams walked towards the battle grounds.

"We decided it'd be best if Nadia and Ike represented us." Lamar answered.

"They thought our fighting styles would work best." Nadia added.

"Ya! They're going to be awesome!" Sapphire cheered.

"Who'll be fighting for you guys?" Ike asked Team RWBY.

"I thought long and hard about the decision on who should be advancing." Ruby began saying.

"We put it to a vote." Weiss quipped in.

"I decided that we should put it to a vote though." Red added, trying to maintain her authoritative look.

"I don't see why you have to keep acting like this was all your idea." Weiss said to her leader.

"Anyways, we voted for Weiss and Yang." Blake said, finally answering the question.

The two girls moving onto the next round both smiled happily. "And what's going to happen when we end up fighting you?" Sapphire asked, somewhat suspiciously.

"Then we'll beat you." Yang replied smugly.

"Please, you haven't beaten me once in class." Ike replied with the same amount of arrogance.

"I have, however." White added in.

"I doubt you stand a chance against me though." Una added.

"Please, that little shield of yours doesn't stand a chance against me." Yellow replied.

"Believe what you want, but underestimating your opponent can cause you to easily be caught off guard." The girl robed girl said.

"Not that we're complaining." Ike added.

"I guess we'll just have to see what happens if our teams do meet in battle." Weiss said as the two teams began to walk into the battle grounds.

Lamar looked behind him to see a green haired girl and a grey haired boy entering in behind them. He then looked forward again and whispered to Ike, "I have a bad feeling about those two."

Ike looked at the pair in question as the broke off into the stands. "Don't worry, their just students here for the same reason as everyone else."

"If you say so. I wouldn't be too trusting though. There has been a recent spike in crime in Vale and I doubt that spike will subside just because of the festival."

The two teams then found a group of seats together and sat down, ready for Team JNPR's fight to begin. However, Lamar still didn't feel at ease.

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**Yes, this a a bit of a shorter chapter, sorry. Like I said I've been busy lately. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed. They're really not much else for me to say, so make sure you go ahead and leave a review and send me a PM so I can hear from you and what you've thought of the story. Bye!**


	55. Chapter 3: Family?

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I've been better myself, but let's not get into that. Before I start this chapter, I do want to say that I might have to slow down on how fast I can write new chapters. I was hoping to be able to post a new one every other Friday, but a lot of things have came up and I don't have the time I thought I was going to. So, both of my stories will be updating as soon as I can write new chapters, but I don't have a set schedule with updates. Other than that, I have nothing else to say, so enjoy!**

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As team SSNS's fight ended, with the team led by the monkey faunus winning, team RWBY and MNSN rose from their seats and began walking out of the arena. However, as the teams left, Weiss's attention was drawn to a dust ship flying white and blue banners. Unfortunately, Ruby wasn't paying attention and ran into Weiss's back with a small cry.

"Anyone recognize that ship?" Ike asked.

"No." Nadia said.

"Nope." Sapphire answered at the same time.

"Yes, actually." Lamar said.

"Care to share?" The girl from Shade asked.

"It's a ship from Atlas, a Schnee ship actually." The big man said.

"So that means…" Ike began saying, before looking to where he assumed Weiss would be. To the surprise of no one, she wasn't there anymore, but running past her team and back towards Beacon, with Ruby close behind her. "Well, that's a shocker." He said, his voice thick with sarcasm.

"You might want to chase after her." Dente said.

"Ya, I'll catch up with you guys later?" Ike half said, half asked.

"You have our numbers if you need us." Nebula replied.

"Great, just… try to not kill each other while I'm gone." Ike said as he began to jog backwards.

"No promises." Una replied.

"Good luck!" The faunus cheered as Ike turned around and began running after the two girls.

"I actually think it'd be best if we-" Nadia began saying before being cut off by the hyperactive member of the group.

"Go and got food? Great idea Nadia! Let's go!" The faunus said, before grabbing the other girl and beginning dragging her off.

"Wait, no! Stop! We just ate!" Una began protesting as the surprisingly strong girl dragged her off. "Why aren't you dragging Lamar with us?"

"Please, I couldn't drag him. He probably weighs a ton!"

"Gee, thanks" Lamar said to himself as one of his team members dragged the other one away. "I suppose I should go and check on the room." He said to himself as he began walking off towards Beacon as well.

Ike had managed to keep the two girls within eye sight, but never got much closer than that in his pursuit of them. "How… is she… able to… run… this fast… in… heels?" He asked himself between breaths. As they approached the landing pad, the two girls began to slow down and Ike took the chance to take a breather. His breathing was ragged and he panted and he doubled over. "Wow, I'm out of shape." He said to himself as he pushed off his knees, stood up straight once again and walked over to the two girls.

"Wait, your sister?" Ruby asked as the two looked at white haired girl, her hair up in a bun, and dressed formally.

"Ice Queen has a sister?" Ike asked as he walked up to the two, which earned him a dirty look from said Ice Queen. "Sorry, I guess your sister would be the Ice Queen, Snow Princess." That comment didn't help either.

The Heiress turned her attention away from the blue haired annoyance and called out, "Winter!" Through cupped hands, much to the surprise of the other two.

"Uhh, I don't think I really have a part in being here." Ike said to Ruby as Winter turned around and looked at the group.

"Please, I don't think I have a part in being here." Ruby replied. "At least you can kinda talk formally."

"Why does it matter if I can talk formally?" Blue asked.

"Ike, they're Schnees." Ruby replied.

"I guess you have a point. Good luck." Ike said. He then quickly gave his girlfriend a kiss and began walking away.

"No, wait, Ike!" Ruby said in a panicked tone. "Don't leave me here!" However, Weiss began jogging towards her sister. Ruby looked between her boyfriend and her teammate, before groaning and following after Weiss.

Ike looked behind him and back at the two girls, just in time to see Weiss deliver a strong punch to Ruby, which dazed the younger girl. Ike chuckled a little at the two, but probably should've been paying attention to where he was walking as he ran into the chest of someone. Ike stumbled backwards slightly, while the other person stood their ground. "Oh, uhh, sorry." He said.

"Nah, don't be kid. You're just the person I was looking for." The man said, his speech slurring slightly and his voice harsh and raspy.

"I am?" Ike replied as he looked at the man. His black hair had a blown back look to it and he wore a monochromic color scheme of clothing. Around his neck dangled a sideways cross, a symbol for execution.

"You sure are. Don't think I missed that little display of lovey-doveyness." The man replied as he wrapped an arm around Ike and plugged him close. The man began to lead him in a random direction and Mers noticed he stumbled slightly when he walked and had the thick smell of whiskey on both his breath and his person as a whole.

"Are you drunk?" The archer asked.

"Only a bit. Don't worry though, that'll change." The man said as he pulled out a flask and took a drink from it.

"This can only end well." Ike said under his breath.

"Don't think I didn't hear that kid. I might be drunk, but I'm not stupid."

"I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"The name's Qrow, I'm sure you'll be able to figure out my last name from there. You seem smart."

"Qrow? As in Qrow Branwen?"

"The one and only, kid. Now, you wanna tell me what you're doing making googily eyes at my niece?"

"I suppose Taiyang hasn't told you then. I'm Ike Mers, I'm kinda dating Ruby." The teen said as the man took another drink out of his flask, only to spit it out when he heard the last part.

"So you're her boyfriend, huh?" Qrow asked as he looked Ike up and down, sizing him up. "Ya, I think you'll do nicely."

"Do nicely for what?"

"A little… prank I want to pull. We're family, so I figured you can help me out."

"I have a bad feeling about this."

"Good! That means you're smart. You gotta gun on you, kid?" Drunkle Qrow asked.

"I got a bow." Ike replied.

"That'll work perfectly." The man said, an almost sinister grin on his face as he began to lead his new found family towards the main path leading up to Beacon.

"So, uhh… what's this prank involve?" Ike asked as the two walked along, Qrow swayed more than anything.

"You see those six robots and the two Heiresses up there?"

"You mean the six expensive combat droids and the Schnee Sisters?"

"Exactly! I'm gonna go ahead and take out the two robots in the back, I want you to put an arrow into the other two, got it."

"What if I said no? Or that I just don't want to do this?"

"I'd say too bad." Qrow replied as he began to pick up his pace and walked closer towards the two robots.

"This is such a bad idea." Mers said as he drew his bow, notched an arrow, and matched Qrow's pace. "Weiss is going to be so mad. Winter's going to be so mad. I don't know which one is worse.

Ike figured he'd learn soon enough as Drunkle Qrow quickly dispatched of the two robots. "Why does this happen to me?" Ike asked as he took aim one of the robots on the right.

"Hey!" Qrow called out to the two sisters, capturing their attention as well as the attention of the other two droids. "Ya, I'm talking to you, Ice Queen!" The man said as he threw the decapitated droid away.

A droid on the left began to move forward, so Ike switched his target and released an arrow. The projectile slammed into the head of the machine, destroying it. He then quickly notched another arrow and dispatched of the second robot on the left. "Ike!" Weiss yelled out.

"Hey, nice shooting kid." Qrow said. "Now, get rid of the other pests."

Ike gave a slightly worried glace at Qrow, before notching another arrow and launching it at one of the robots, before doing the same thing again and firing at his next target. "I knew I'd like you." Qrow said with a smile.

Ike then looked over to Winter and saw a less than pleased look on her face.

"Excuse me." Weiss said as she walked up to the pair. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to? And you." She said as she turned her attention to Ike and pointed an accusing finger at him. "What are you do-"

The drunk man then put a hand on Weiss's forehead and said, "Sssshhhh, not you." He also slouched slightly. His calm expression was then changed to a glare as he pushed Weiss aside.

"Hey!" The white haired girl complained as Qrow walked passed her.

Weiss looked like she was about to storm back up to Qrow, but Ike stopped her. "I have a feeling this isn't going to end well." He said.

"You kiddies just stay back there and watch the magic happen." The man said as he continued to walk up to Winter, using a grand gesture to emphasize the word, 'magic'.

"Hmp." Weiss said, stubbornly. As Qrow began to speak to Winter. "I have no idea what this rapscallion thinks he's doing. He can't treat me like that."

"Looks like he just did." Ike replied.

"What're you doing with him anyways?"

"Honestly, I didn't really have a choice."

"And why not?" Weiss asked.

"You realize you just destroyed Atlas military property?" Winter asked. She then looked at Ike. "Don't you?"

"Ohhhh, we're sorry." Qrow said with fake concern.

"I actually kinda am." Ike said to himself.

"See, I mistook this for some… sentient garbage. So I had my new family here get rid of it."

"Did he just say family?" Weiss asked.

"I don't have time for your immature games, Qrow." Winter said, before Ike could reply.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Weiss asked her sister the same time that Ike asked Qrow the same question.

"Ike, what did I tell you? Just step back and let the grownups talk for a minute, okay?" Qrow said to the teen, who took more than a few steps back from the scene. "You Atlas specialists think you're so special, don't you?" He asked.

"It's in the title." Winter replied.

"I know you're drunk Qrow, but I think you could come up with something better than that." Ike thought to himself. "Wait, did he say specialist?" Blue thought, as more worry rose inside of him and the conversation between the other two continued. "I'm in so much trouble now. I'm going to get detention, maybe even suspension for this." He thought.

"Oh, I heard too." Qrow said. "I heard ol' Ironwood finally turned his back on Ozpin." The man said.

"Ozpin?" Weiss asked.

"Weiss, it's time for you to go." Winter said as she pushed Weiss aside.

"What?" The girl asked.

"Listen to big sister, Weiss. She'll protect you. Just like Atlas is going to protect all of us, huh?" Qrow said, before turning his attention to the blue haired teen. "You should probably step back even further too, Ike."

Ike didn't reply, but did as he was told. Then he took a few more steps back just in case.

"If you won't hold your tongue, then I will gladly remove it for you." Winter said, venom filling her words as she drew her sword.

"This can only end badly." Ike said to himself.

"Alright then." Drunkle said, before pushed back his hair. "Come take it." He said with a cocky grin.

There was only a moment of silence, before Winter rocketed off towards Qrow, kicking up enough wind to cause Weiss's hair to be thrown about.

"Yep, this is bad, this is bad." Ike said as Winter stabbed at Qrow, who dodged the attacks. He took the chance to run around the outskirts of the small circle that had formed around the fight and back over to where Weiss stood.

"What are you two doing?!" Weiss asked, furious as Qrow comically used his giant sword as a fencing foil.

"I didn't have a choice!" Ike replied.

"What do you mean you didn't have a choice?! You shot arrows into our droids!"

"He made me!" Blue replied.

"Who is he?!" White replied.

Before Ike could answer, Ruby jogged passed the crowd and up to the other two. "What's going on?!" She asked.

"Some crazy guy and your genius of a boyfriend just started attacking my sister!" White replied.

"Ike!"

"I didn't have a choice!"

"Why not?!"

"Look for yourself!" Ike said.

"Ike, who would make you do such a th-aaaaat is my uncle!" Ruby cheered.

"What?!" Weiss asked.

"I told you I didn't have a choice!" Ike replied.

"Kick her butt, Uncle Qrow!" Red yelled out, cheering for her uncle.

"Uhh, teach him respect, Winter!" The heiress called out.

"I really just want this to be over." The archer said.

"Ike!" Ruby said. "Cheer for my uncle!"

Ike sighed and yelled out. "Try not to break everything, Qrow!"

"That's not a cheer!" The Reaper scolded.

"That's the best you're gonna get."

"So why did he start attacking her?" Ruby asked over the noise of the fight.

"I don't know. I walked into him, he found out who I was, and then he made me join him in a "prank"." Ike replied, with air quotes around the word prank.

Just as Ike said that, Qrow missed an attack and slammed his sword down into the pavement, shattering it and sending it flying everywhere. "I asked for one thing!" Ike said.

"Did you really expect them not to break something?" Red asked.

"No." Blue replied sadly as he pinched the bridge of his nose and Qrow sliced through a light post. "Do you think I'm gonna be held partially responsible for the damages?"

"Well, you aren't the one wrecking the court yard." Red replied.

"I wasn't talking about those damages."

"Then what damages?"

"Those." Ike said as he pointed to the four droids with arrows sticking out of their heads.

Ruby sucked in air, making a pained sound. "Ya, you might be held responsible for those."

"I'm so screwed."

"No, no, you'll be… fine?" Red said without confidence.

"Glad to see you're so sure."

As the battle continued, along with the damage to the courtyard, Ike noticed something. "Hey, I thought you're uncle taught you how to fight with a scythe."

"He did." Ruby replied.

"But he fights with a sword?"

"No, he uses a scythe. He just only uses it when things get serious."

"And this isn't serious?" Ike asked.

"Apparently not." Ruby replied. Winter then formed a glyph behind her, ready to shoot herself towards Qrow. Mechanisms in Qrow's sword began to whirl as the sword came to life and started shifting. "Or maybe it is." Ruby said as her uncle's blade began to curve. However, the mechanisms suddenly died once again and he sheathed his weapon.

"What's he doing?" Ike asked as Qrow beckoned for an attack.

"I don't know." Ruby replied.

"I sure hope he does then."

Winter answered the call and launched herself at the man, but a man's voice cut through the air as she did. "Schnee!" it yelled. Winter stopped dead in her tracks, mere inches away from Qrow.

"Yep, he had a plan." Blue said.

Everyone's attention turned towards Ironwood as he walked up to the white haired girl, who now stood at attention.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?" Ironwood asked, Ike also noticed Penny standing behind the man.

"He and his little delinquent over there started the altercation, sir." Winter answered as she gestured towards Ike.

"Uhh… Hi." Ike said, waving nervously.

"That's actually not true, she attacked first." Qrow retorted, his hands relaxing behind his head.

Ironwood looked at Ike and then back at Winter. "Is that right?" Winter looked for something to say, but found nothing as she held her head down in defeat. The general looked around at the crowd, before turning his attention back to Qrow. "And you." He said.

Qrow looked back at him with a confused look and pointed at himself. "What are you doing?" Ironwood asked.

"I could be asking you the same thing." The drunk replied.

Ironwood began to speak, but was soon cut off by Ozpin. "Now, now everyone. There is a sanction fight happening just around the corner at the coliseum. That I can assure you has better seats. And popcorn." The Headmaster said, cheer in his voice at the mention of popcorn.

"Break it up everyone!" Glynda ordered in stark contrast to Ozpin. "We will take care of this mess."

Ozpin looked down at the broken droids at his feet and say the arrows in their heads. He then looked over at Ike and gave him a look that he knew meant he wasn't going to get out of this without a stern talking to at the least.

"Let's go." Ironwood said to Winter as he, Penny, and Winter began to walk towards Beacon. Penny took a second to look behind her and give a small wave to Ike and Ruby, who returned the wave themselves.

Ruby's attention to her friend was short lived though as she yelled out, "Uncle Qrow!" and dove at her uncle, latching onto his arm in the process. "Hi." She said simply as Qrow lifted the arm she was hanging onto. "Ahh, it's so good to see you! Did you miss me? Did you miss me?!" She asked leaning in close to her uncle.

The drunk man looked at her for a second, before smiling and saying, "Nope."

He then ruffled her hair as he held her up. "And I see you've met my boyfriend." She said as Ike walked up.

"I have." Qrow replied as he looked at the blue haired teen. "Nice kid, glad to see he's willing to help out when he needs to."

Ike faked a laugh and rubbed the back of his neck, before saying, "Uhh… ya… about that."

"Qrow." Ozpin said, cutting off his student. Drunkle let his arm drop, causing Ruby to slid off and fall to the ground with a small thump. "A word, please."

"I think I'm in trouble." Qrow whispered to the two teens.

"I don't think you're the only one." Ike whispered back.

"You did kinda tear up our courtyard. And you kinda destroyed really expensive robots." Red said.

"Ya, I did." The Qrow and Ike said together, though Qrow seemed far happier than Ike.

"Catch you kids later." The man said, before fist bumping Ruby and walking towards Beacon.

"And suddenly your recklessness makes sense." Weiss said as she walked up to the couple.

"You didn't get that from Yang?" Ike asked.

"You're just mad cause he whooped butt." Ruby replied, bumping into Weiss slightly.

"That was a draw at best." Weiss replied.

"I don't know, I'm pretty sure Qrow was holding back quite a bit." Blue replied.

"He was not!"

"Whatever you say, Ice Princess." The archer said as he began to walk towards Beacon.

"Ice Princess?" The heiress asked as she followed him, slightly offended by the nickname.

"You're sister's the Ice Queen. You can't both be queens." Ike replied.

"She is not the Ice Queen!" Weiss protested.

Ike simply smiled and said, "Whatever." As he continued to walk towards the school.

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**And that's that. There's not a whole lot for me to say here, so I guess I'll just close out this chapter. Don't forget to leave a review and send me a PM with any feedback or questions. Some positive feedback would be really nice right now, seeing as the past few weeks haven't been going so great. Anyways, I'll see you later. Bye!**


	56. Chapter 4: The Old and The New

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm pretty good myself. I've been really busy lately though. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Before I do end this A/N I want to thank MrBosa2016 for his help with the story so far, and make sure to go check out his stories as well. Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

"Oh, Ike!" Nadia called out to the blue haired as he walked next to his girlfriend and her partner.

Ike turned around to see Nadia dragging Sapphire, the hooded girl obviously annoyed by the bubbly faunus. "She your issue now." Una said as she released her grip on the faunus and continued to walk passed the group and into the school.

"No, wait Nadia, I'm in the middle of something." Ike said, but he's pleas fell on deaf ears and the girl from Shade continued to walk away.

"Well, umm, Ruby, Weiss I think you two have met Sapphire. I guess she'll be-" He then felt a blast of wind behind him and turned around to see the Red and White duo missing from where they were only seconds ago. "Great, just great. I'm stuck here with-"

"Me!" Sapphire said, finishing his sentence.

"Yes, you." Ike said and sighed. "Alright, what do you want to do?" He asked.

"I don't know." She replied simply as she held her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth on her heels.

"Really? I thought you'd have a plan or something."

"Nope. You're the one who lives here, so what's there to do?"

"I think I have an idea." Ike said. "Follow me." He said as he began to walk away with the faunus close behind him.

"So tell me about yourself." Mers said to the girl as they walked.

"Well, my name is Sapphire, I'm a faunus, I use these really cool claw things to fight, I-"

"Sapphire, I know all of these things. Tell me what I don't know."

"Like?"

"Like… do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Yep! I have two older brothers. Fidelis lives in Vale, but he kinda hasn't talked to us for a while."

"Why not?" Ike asked.

"He… uh… made some bad decisions with his friends." The girl said.

"Oh, sorry." Blue replied, knowing he had struck a nerve. However, he knew he would strike another one with his next question.

"And your other brother?"

"Oh, Rideat isn't… with us anymore."

"I'm… I'm sorry to hear that." Ike said. Her response solidified his suspicious and told him he knew where he was taking her was the right place.

"What about you?" Dente asked. "Any family?"

"No, not really. They're all. Well, they're all with Rideat." Ike replied.

"So we're in the same boat." Sapphire replied.

"And what boat would that be?"

"A boat with no families." Sapphire replied sadly. "But we have friends, right?" The girl said cheerfully.

"Yes, we do and we have each other." Mers replied happily, knowing that within a few minutes the mood between the two would turn somber.

"Ya! We're best buddies!" The hyena called out, before wrapping Ike into a bone crushing bear hug.

"Sapphire." Ike managed to squeak out as the last bits of air left his lungs.

"Yes?" She asked, her grip holding.

"Can't… breathe." He replied with the last of his air.

"Oh, sorry." The girl said, releasing the teen and letting him collapse to the ground.

"Thank you." He said from the ground as oxygen rushed into his lungs again.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she looked down over him.

"Ya, I'll be fine. I just have to let my three cracked ribs heal." He replied as he sat up and accepted her hand up.

"Come on, I didn't hug you that hard."

"You didn't have to feel it."

"So where are we going?" Sapphire asked.

"It's a surprise." Ike replied.

"I love surprises! Except when it's a bad surprise, because those are terrible. Like this one time when my friends tried throwing me a surprise birthday party, but then they couldn't get everyone together in time, so then I walked into the room and there were just a bunch of people standing around in the room, and it was super awkward!"

"I can only imagine." Ike replied. "So what's Mistral like?"

"Ugh, it's just filled with swamps. It's muddy and sticky and gross. And there's bums everywhere who fight for money. Like, who does that?" Sapphire asked.

"Umm… me." Blue replied sheepish and awkwardly.

"What? You did?"

"Ya, for quite a few years actually. It's where I learn to fight."

"That's… that's…" The girl stammered, looking like she was about to explode. The archer prepared for the worst. "That's so cool!" She beamed.

"Really? I thought you said only bums did that?"

"Ya, but those are bums, you're... well you're you! What was it like? Did you go on a lot of missions? Oooo, I bet you're loaded, aren't you? Did you ever save any damsels in distress?" The girl asked rapidly as she seemed to pop around the blue haired teen.

"Uhh, it was a bad idea, I went on lots of missions, I'm not loaded, and no, no damsels in distress."

"Oh," The girl said, disheartened. "Then what was it like?"

"It was a lot of training, and not the cleanest of work."

"Did you have to crawl through sewers?"

"Not that kind of dirty. Let's just say it wasn't the best choice in my life and leave it at that. I don't have the best of memories with that part of my life."

"Alright then. So are we almost there yet?" She asked.

"Yep, right around this corner." Ike said as they turned the corner. The hall ended only feet away, showing an open archway that lead into the bright light being cast outside.

The teammates both walked out into the blinding light. Ike continued to move forward, but Sapphire's eyes needed to adjust to the light outside. She continued to follow behind the figure that was her teammate, until her eyes adjusted to the outside world. She then saw where Ike had taken her, to Beacon's graveyard.

"Ike, why are we here?" She asked.

"Sapphire, I know this is going to be hard for you, but I think you need to do this."

"Need to do what?"

"Well, I'm assuming you haven't seen Rideat for a while, so I thought you should come and visit him."

"But… how did you know about Rideat, I told you about him for the first time a few minutes ago."

"I've… I actually met Rideat before. Not the real Rideat, but Rideat in a way."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, I know this is going to sound crazy, but believe me when I say this. A second personality and I fought for control for my body not too long ago. During my fight, I had to fight a literal war inside my own head. Rideat was actually one of my generals in this war and I fought alongside him. He was only a memory of the real Rideat, but Rideat none the less. So that's why I brought you here, because I wanted to know about the real Rideat, not just a memory of him. I know this all sounds crazy, but-"

"I believe you." Sapphire said, interrupting him.

"It's just- you do?"

"Yes, I do."

"Wow, I had this whole speech planned out and everything." Ike admitted. "Why though?"

"Why would you lie to me?"

"I suppose I wouldn't have a reason to."

"Ike, I don't have a lot of friends, so I'm going to trust the ones that I do have, because I know they trust me." The girl said, a smile stretching across her face.

"Thanks Sapphire. It means a lot." The archer replied as he stopped in front of a gravestone. "Well, here we are. Here's Rideat."

"Yep." Sapphire said, somewhat sadly. "Hey, big bro. How you doing? I'm pretty good myself. I know I haven't been around for a while. Sorry. I've just been… busy lately. It's nice to be here though. I miss having you around. You always did find a way to brighten up my bad. I wish I was more like you. I wish you were still here."

"I wish I could've met him." Ike said to the girl as he stepped up beside her. He then looked over at her to see a few tears leak from her eyes. "You okay?" He asked.

"What? Oh, ya. I'm fine." She said as she wiped away the tears.

"No you're not, come here." Ike said as he reached over and hugged the girl and stroked her hair. He felt silent sobs against his chest as he held her.

"Why did he have to go? Why did he have to be taken away?"

"I don't know." Ike replied. "I wish I could tell you. I know these kind of things aren't easy."

"Ike." The girl said as she pulled away from him.

"Ya?" He asked.

"Thanks for taking me here. I needed to come and visit."

"You're welcome." He replied.

"Do you mind if I spend a few minutes alone with Rideat?" The faunus asked.

"Not at all, I'll be inside whenever you need me." He replied, before walking back inside.

As Ike walked back into Beacon, his scroll beeped, signaling he had a message. He opened up his device and checked the message, which was from an unknown sender. "Are you Ike Mers?" It read.

Ike debated if he should reply to it or not. He divided to, seeing as he didn't have anything to lose by doing so. "Who wants to know?" He replied back.

"Someone who has important information for him, now are you him or not?" The next message said.

"What would this information be about?"

"You answer my question, I'll answer yours."

Ike bit his bottom lip, nervous about giving anything away to an unknown source. "Yes, this is him."

"Thought so, you asked too many questions to not be. Meet me at your old house tonight at 10 o'clock."

"How do you know where I live? And should I be coming alone?"

"Let's just say I have my sources. Come alone or come with friends, either or, it's up to you. It's not like I'm going to kill you or anything. I wouldn't bring any friends that you didn't want knowing about your past though." The next message said.

"Why not? What's this all about?"

"You'll see tonight. See you then." The next message said.

"No, I want to know what I'm walking into." Ike replied. However, he didn't get a response. "Hello?" Still nothing. Ike sighed and wrote, "I'll see you tonight then." He sent his final message and ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a long sigh as he did so.

Sapphire walked back into the school, wiping her right eye as she did so. "Ready to go?" Ike asked.

"Ya." She replied simply. "Do you want to do anything else?"

"I would, but something kinda important came up."

"Oh, do you need to go there now then?" She asked.

"No, I have to get a few things from the room, so I can walk with you back there." He replied.

"Alright, let's go." She said as she began to walk back toward the room, Ike close behind.

The mood was somber between the two, a mood which neither of them knew how to break. Ike felt bad from bringing his friend to the graveyard, feeling that he had caused the awkward silence between the two, while Sapphire felt that her own sadness was the cause of the silence. "So…" Ike said, hoping to break the quietness around them.

"So…" Saphhire replied herself. A few moments passed, until she asked, "How did you and Ruby meet?" She asked.

"I first saw her tackling a man through a window." He replied.

"Really?"

"Yep, she tackled a guy robbing a dust shop through a window of said dust shop. I jumped in and helped her fight the other guys, but the leader of the whole thing got away."

"Ever find out who it was?"

"You ever heard of the name Roman Torchwick?" The archer asked.

"It sounds familiar, but I nothing I actually know."

"Let's just say he's a bad guy."

"I figured."

"Anyways, she got away, I tired jumping onto the Bull Head he was on, and then got my face stomped on as I pulled myself onto it, which threw me down into an alley. She was the first thing I saw when I woke up and the rest is history from there."

"So now real fancy story?"

"How many romance movies have you seen start with a scythe and explosions?" He asked.

Sapphire laughed a little at the joke and said, "So maybe you do have a fancy story."

"Just a bit."

"So what about you, anyone waiting for you back at Mistral?"

"Well… kinda." The faunus replied.

"What do you mean by kinda?"

"Well, there's this guy that I like, but I don't know if he really likes me, and we talk all the time, but I don't know if it's a, "Hey, I really like you as a friend," talks or if it's more of a, "Hey, you're really pretty and I want to know if you want to go get steaks," talk. You know what I mean?"

The fact that most of what she had just said was one solid sentence let Ike know that Sapphire was beginning to cheer up. "Why don't you just ask him then?"

"What? No, I couldn't do that it'd be so… so…"

"Weird, awkward, upfront?"

"Exactly."

"Sapphire, that seems to be all you are. Just ask him, I'm sure it'll work out for the best." Mers said as the two approached the door to their room. Ozpin had given the team a separate room from the combined RWBY-JNPR-Ike one. The archer missed his old room, but saw the importance of staying in a room with his new team. After all, he'd end up moving back in with teams RWBY and JNPR as soon as the tournament ended. Ike unlocked the door with his scrolled and pushed it open.

"How was it?" Nadia asked Ike as the two walked into the room.

"A lot better than you'd think." He replied as he began to collect his weapons quickly.

"Where are you off to?" Lamar asked.

"I got a message about something important, so I have to go deal with it."

"You wanna be vaguer?" Una asked sarcastically.

"I would if I could. I get the feeling this is about something I don't want to really share." The archer replied.

"Ike, if it's that important you should really tell us. A team shouldn't have secrets." Nebula said.

"If it's concerning anything important, I'll tell you. Until then, don't worry about it." Blue said.

"Alright, but if we have to, we'll break their legs!" Sapphire said, her exuberant attitude returning to her.

"Sapphire?" Ike asked.

"Yes?"

"Have you been hanging around Nora?"

"No, why?" She asked.

"Just… just don't spend a lot of time around her." He said. "You two might end up making good on that threat." He said to himself.

"So are you even going to tell us where you'll be in town in case this goes horribly wrong?" The girl from Shade asked.

"I'll be in town." Beacon replied.

"And there's the vagueness again." Shade replied.

"Just message us if you need help." Atlas reassured.

"I will." Ike replied as he began walking back towards the door. "I'll see you guys soon."

"Bye." They said in unison as Ike opened up the door.

"Hey, don't forget we still need to train tomorrow!" Nadia called out as Ike stepped through the door and began closing it.

"I won't!" He called back, just as the door latched shut.

There was a knock on the door on team RWBY's side of the room. "It's open!" Yang called out from inside.

Ike turned the door handle and walked inside, but kept the door open, he didn't plan on staying long. He saw team RWBY doing their usual activities, Weiss was studying, Blake was reading, Yang was on her scroll, and Ruby was playing with Zwei. "Hey, Ruby, can I talk to you for a second?" Ike asked.

"Sure, what's up?" She replied without looking up.

"I mean talk to you… alone?" He replied.

"Ohhh, ya sure." She replied as she got up from the ground. Zwei turned his head to the side, before happily prancing over to Yang's bed. Ike pushed the door open slightly further and let Ruby walk out of the room, before following her out and closing the door behind him.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" She asked.

"I need your help tonight."

"With?"

"I got a weird message from a random person about wanting to meet me."

"Why?"

"I don't know, they never said. They just said to meet them at my old house in Vale."

"Wait, what? How do they know where you live and why do they want you? And why are you talking to mysterious strangers? I thought you were done with that."

"I wish I was. But I don't know anything and that's why I want you to come with me, in case things go… south."

"Then shouldn't we bring everyone else?"

"They said they didn't want to fight or anything, just talk. I don't want to bring too many people and scare them off."

"Still, I think we should-"

"Ruby," Ike said as he grabbed onto his girlfriend's shoulders. "Just trust me on this, okay?"

Ruby looked into his eyes and simply nodded yes. "Okay." She said. "When are we meeting them?"

"At 10." He replied.

Ruby looked at her scroll and saw what time it was. "We have to get going now then."

"I know."

"I'll go tell everyone that we're heading out to Vale and I don't know when I'll be back. I'll meet you at the landing pad, okay?" She asked.

"Okay." He replied, before kissing her. "Thanks." He replied.

"Thanks for trusting me with this." She replied, before heading back into her room to gather her things and Ike walked out to the landing pad.

The couple walked side by side down the old and abandoned road. Ike's bow was slung across his back and Ruby's weapon was collapsed and in its holster. Both were ready for a fight, but hoping they wouldn't have to.

As the two rounded a corner, they saw the house. Its paint was worn and stripped and the lawn was overgrown. It didn't look like it had been touched in years. It hadn't.

In front of it stood a woman. She was a taller woman from what Ike could see. She wore a leather guard that ran from her right shoulder and down to her wrist. On her right hand she wore a glove that covered only her middle and index fingers. It appeared that the leather guard ran onto her chest. All things that would point to her using a bow.

She wore a blue dress that was cut low exposing her right shoulder and the leather armor she wore on it, exposing a small amount of skin. On the left side, the dress ran down the length of her arm and flared out slightly. The right side of the dress ended at the top of her thigh and cut off diagonally to the right side, ending below her right knee.

From what Ike could see, the woman had her hair pulled back into a tight braid, which ended in the middle of her back. Her hair had an oceanic blue color, the same as Ike's.

The couple stopped a few yards away from the woman, who was leaning on the fence of the house. The silence that hung between the three of them was deafening. However, the woman broke it before anyone else.

"You Ike?" She asked. Her voice was soft and loving, but held a hint of harshness under it.

"Yes." He replied.

"You've grown." She said. "Who's she." The woman asked, still facing the house.

"That's not important. You didn't want anything with her."

"Then why'd you bring her if she isn't important?"

"Protection." Mers replied.

"Then she is important." The woman "I like how you brought someone along, it was smart of you. She doesn't look like she could even kill an Ursa Minor though. Unless the rumors are true."

"Hey! I could kill lots of things!" Ruby protested.

"Be quiet Silver Eyes, you aren't the one I wanted to talk to."

"What rumors?" Ike asked, but the woman simply waved the question away.

"That's not important."

"Then what is important?"

"You." The woman replied. "You are, little Ike."

"Who are you?" Ike asked.

"You don't recognize me?" She asked. Ike didn't reply. "I figure you wouldn't. It's been a long time since we've seen each other. Your father made sure of that."

"What do you know about my father?"

"A lot more than you, I'm gonna guess. But, that's why you're here."

"You still haven't answered my question." The archer said.

"No, I suppose I haven't." She replied as she pushed herself off the fence and turned towards the two of them. Both Ruby and Ike drew their weapons and took aim at the weapon. The woman didn't see fazed as she finished her turn and looked right at them. Her eyes were the same color as Ike's and she had a similar skin complexion. Even her facial features were similar to Ike's. Ike instantly saw and recognize something on her left hip. It was a folded up fan with blades on the tips.

The woman drew the fan and flashed it open, showing the tidal wave pattern on the fabric of the fan, as well as a blue wave emblem on it, the same wave symbol that was on her chest guard. A wave symbol that Ike instantly recognized as he began lowering his bow.

"Ike, what are you doing?" Ruby asked.

"Ruby, lower your weapon." Ike replied.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because he recognizes this fan and this emblem." The woman replied. "You recognize me, don't you Ike?" She asked.

"Ya, I do." He replied, disbelief in his voice.

"Ike, who is she?" Red asked.

The woman answered for him though. "I'm Lynn Mers." She asked. "I'm Ike's aunt."

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**And look who it is! Ike has an aunt! Yay! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I don't have anything else to really say about the story as a whole, so I'll just end it here. Have a nice day everyone and don't forget to leave a review and PM. Bye!**


	57. Chapter 5: Unknown Family

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm pretty good, because I got accepted into the School of Art at Ball State! So I'll be leaving home this Fall to go learn how to be an animator. With a lot of luck, I'll hopefully be working at RoosterTeeth one day. Anyways, I don't have anything else new in my life, so enjoy the next chapter! **

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**-Last Time on Vengeance of a Brother-**

"Ike, who is she?" Red asked.

The woman answered for him though. "I'm Lynn Mers." She asked. "I'm Ike's aunt."

** -This Time on Vengeance of a Brother-**

"His aunt?" Ruby asked as she let her weapon hang down lazily.

"Yep, and your Ruby Rose, right?" Lynn asked Red.

"Ya." Ruby replied, somewhat confused by how the woman knew who she was.

"And why'd you get drug here?"

"Well, I'm kinda Ike's girlfriend." The Grimm Reaper replied.

"Aww, Ike you got a little girlfriend, did you?" The woman asked, teasing her nephew. However Ike's bow rose once again, an arrow aimed at his aunt. "Woah, kiddo, what're you doing?" Lynn asked.

"It's been years since my parents died, years since James and I had to fend for ourselves, a year since James died, and now your just gonna try to walk back into my life like nothing happened?" He asked, anger in his voice. "I only have the faintest memories of you! Do you know how rough my life has been, the things I've had to do? Where've you been?"

"Look, Ike, I understand why you might be mad, but just lower your bow and we can talk about this." Lynn said calmly.

"Why should I? Why should I even talk to you at all? You obviously haven't cared about me all this time, so why should I care about you now?"

"Because I know about your parents!" The woman yelled out.

"What about my parents?" The archer asked, his arrow still trained on the woman.

"I'm not going to be interrogated. Now drop your arrow and we can talk."

"And if I don't?" He asked.

"Then I'll just take it away from you." She replied.

"Is that a threat?"

"Your words, not mine."

"Ike, do you really think this is the best foot to get off on?" Ruby asked her boyfriend.

"Ruby, she could've taken care of my brother and myself all those years ago. She could've given us a better life, but she chose not to." He replied.

"If you just drop that arrow then I'll explain why." The woman said.

"Just tell me why and I'll drop the arrow." Ike said.

"Are you going to make me take it away from you?" She asked boredly.

"I'd love to see you try." He replied.

"Yet again, your words, not mine." The woman said as she opened her fan again and loaded a small clip into the bottom. As the clip attached in, the metal rods in between the fabric of the fan sprang forward revealing blades at the end. The ends of the fan extend outward, as did a bow string, creating a crossbow on the fan.

The woman draw the string backwards, letting it clip into place as an arrow was brought up from the clip. "You wanna do this, kid?" She asked as she took aim with the blade fan crossbow.

"Ike, please don't. She's your family." Ruby said, her weapon now holstered.

"Your words, not mine." He said as he released the arrow. As soon as he did, Lynn fired her crossbow, causing the two arrows to collide in the air. Before he could notch a second arrow, Lynn had already fired a second one, forcing him to dodge with a backwards handspring.

However, Lynn's onslaught didn't relent as she waved her fan sideways, causing the wind to flash forward and, like a fist, and slam into Ike's bow, wrenching it from his grip and sending it across the ground.

Ike moved to grab the weapon, but Lynn flashed forwards first, flying past him and picking up the bow before Ike could reach it. "See, you could've just handed it over and we wouldn't have had to go through all of that." She said as she inspected the bow. "Yep, exactly what I thought."

"What?" Ike asked as he stood up.

"It's your father's." She said. "And you can have it back if you promise not to try to shoot me again."

"I promise not to shoot you." He said.

"Try to shoot me." Lynn corrected as she tossed the bow back to him.

"What do you mean my father's?" Ike asked. "That was given to me by-"

"Victor, yes I know. Did you know his actual name is Vered?"

"Yes, I did. How do you know all of this?" The teen asked.

"I'll tell you more later and trust me, I have a lot to tell you. For now, all you need to know is that I exist. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to my hotel. I have the number to your scroll, so-"

"Come back with us." Ike interrupted her.

"What, three seconds ago you wanted to stick and arrow into me and now you invite me to your school?" She asked.

"Ozpin did set up a lot of extra rooms for everyone expected to come to Vale for the festival." Ruby added.

"And worst comes to worst, you can take my old bed in team RWBY and JNPR's room." The teen added, however, he received a skeptical look in return. "Please, you obviously know something I don't and you're my only family now."

"You have too much of your mother in you." Lynn replied. "Fine, I'll come back with you, but I'm not staying in a room with a bunch of teenagers."

"I'm sure Ozpin can make some kind of adjustment." Ike replied. As he began walking side by side next to his aunt.

"That's odd." Lynn said.

"What is?" Ruby replied.

"Back when I was at Beacon there was only one team per room." She replied. "Unless that's still the norm and you two did something."

"It wasn't my idea." Ike replied.

"We kind merged three rooms." Ruby replied.

"Three? I thought you said your room consisted of teams RWBY and JNPR."

"It does, do you hear the letter I or an M in either of those names?"

"I suppose not, then what team are you on?" The woman asked her nephew.

"I don't have an actual team." He answered. "There was an odd number of students, so I wasn't put on a team."

"Then who are those people you're fighting with in the Vytal Tournament?"

"You've been watching the tournament?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, I have. Congrats on making it to the next round by the way. You fought really well." She said to the girl.

"Aww, shut your little face." Ruby mumbled past her blush.

"I've been fighting with a makeshift team of other lone students from the other three schools." Ike replied.

"Ahh, probably to show unity amongst the nations or something stupid like that?" Lynn asked.

"Actually, yes." Ike replied.

"Figures, these are dark times and I doubt anyone wants a war breaking out between the nations."

"Wait, did you say you attended Beacon?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, I did, long ago." The woman replied.

"Whose team were you on?" Ike asked.

"I was on a team with your father, your mother, myself, and… well… Vered. We were team RLVR **(Pronounced River)**. Reef Mers, Lynn Mers, Vered Cray, and Amy Reem. Of course, your mother's last name changed to Mers once she and your father got married."

"Vered?" The two teens asked together.

"Unfortunately. I never did like him, but I never thought he'd ever become, well what he is now."

"Wait, so how did Vered turn into what he is now?" Ike asked.

"That's part of the long explanation. Like I said, I'll tell you everything in due time, but for now it's getting late and I doubt you want to talk about your past very openly as we get into more public places." Lynn replied.

"Your right." Ike replied.

The trio walked on in silence for a few moments, until Lynn broke it. "So, what's been new?" She asked.

"What, since the last time I saw you years ago?" Ike replied.

"Look, I'm sorry I haven't been able to be in your life for years. You haven't exactly been the easiest kid to get a hold of." She replied. "It's not like I meant to completely walk out of your life, I didn't have a choice. I'm not good at this whole "Be an aunt" thing." She replied.

"I know." He replied. "I don't blame you."

"Thanks." The woman replied.

"Aww, you two are so cute." Ruby added in.

"Thanks." The two replied together in the same sarcastic tone.

After a few more moments of awkward silence, Lynn said, "You look a lot like him, you know. Your father that is."

"Do you have any pictures?" Blue asked.

"Of what? Your father? Ya, a few. I'll show them to you once we get to Beacon."

"Thanks, and Aunt Lynn?"

"Ya?" She asked.

"Thanks for… showing back up. It's nice knowing I'm not completely alone."

"Thanks for letting me show back up, kid." She replied. "I've missed being around family."

"Mr. Mers." Ozpin said as the aunt and nephew stepped out of the elevator in his office. Ruby had left back to the team dorm, eager to tell her friend the news of Ike's aunt.

"Professor Ozpin." Ike replied as he and Lynn approached the headmaster's desk.

"And who might this be?" The man asked, looking over at the woman, seemingly studying her as she studied him in return.

"Lynn Mers." She replied. "Beacon Alumni."

"And would you have any relation to Mr. Mers?" He asked.

"I'm his aunt." She replied plainly, but not business like.

"I was under the assumption you had no living relatives."

"I was under that assumption as well." Ike replied.

"I see. Ms. Mers, you said you were an alumni of Beacon."

"I did and I am." She replied.

"Do you mind telling me your team name?"

"No at all, I was a member of team RLVR, consisting of Reef Mers, myself, Vered Cray, and Amy Reem." She replied.

"I see, and Reef would be related to you in what way?"

"My brother, Ike's father. Amy later became my sister-in-law and Ike's mother." She replied.

"I see, and Vered?"

"I'm certain you have plenty of information on him, given Ike's past and his recent activities." Lynn replied with hatred at the mention of Vered's name.

"You would be correct." Ozpin replied. "However, I'm certain you could… expand our knowledge."

"I'm sure I could, but that's a topic for another day."

"Yes, of course. You haven't even informed me of the reason you have visited at such an hour."

"Not like you've really given us the chance." She replied.

"I'd like to request a room for my aunt to stay in." Ike said for his aunt.

"Very well, seeing as you aren't using your bed for the time being, Mr. Mers-"

"I'm not sleeping in the same room as a bunch of teenagers." Lynn said, cutting him off.

Ozpin let out a long sigh as he let his hand fall from his forehead and down his face. "Very well…" He said. "I suppose I can have a room prepared for you. However, it will take time. You can either take Ike's bed for the time being, sleep somewhere on the ground, or go stay at a hotel."

The woman sighed and said, "I'm too tired to walk back to my room and sleeping of the floor would make me look like a bum, so it looks like I only have one choice."

"Excellent, we'll have a room arranged for you by tomorrow morning. For now, I'm certain Mr. Mers can show you to your temporary quarters."

"Thank you, Headmaster Ozpin." Ike said formally.

"Thanks Oz." Lynn said as she turned around and began to walk back towards the elevator.

"You're quite welcome." Ozpin said as he turned his attention back to the paperwork on his desk.

"This is?" Lynn asked as Ike stopped in front of Ike's door to the combined room.

"Yep." Ike replied. However, I soon as he did, a loud bang came from the other side of the door.

The woman sighed and said, "Let's just get this over with." She then pulled out her scroll and waved it in front of the lock, unlocking the door. Lynn let out another sigh, before turning the handle and pushing the door open.

"I told you you would eventually hit the ceiling." Ren said, looking at the Nora shaped hole in the ceiling.

"Please, Renny, you didn't say anything."

"He told you exactly 31 times." Blake said without looking up from her book.

"Well, this seems fantastic." Lynn said sarcastically, catching everyone's attention.

"Umm, everyone, this is my aunt Lynn, Lynn this is everyone." Ike said.

"Ohh, she looks just like you!" Nora exclaimed as she bounced out of her bed and close up to the woman, inspecting her. Lynn placed her hand over Nora's face and pushed her away, knocking the girl onto the ground in the process.

"So where's your bed?" She asked.

"It's the one by itself." Ike replied, pointing to his lone bed in the middle of the room.

"Thanks." She replied as she walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. She placed her folded up fan on the end table and picked up the old picture of Ike and his family.

"So…" Yang said, breaking the silence in the room. "Are you a Huntress?"

"That depends on what you mean by Huntress. I have the skills of one, I was trained here at Beacon to be one, and I could most certainly become one if I choose, but I don't do all that hero garbage."

"Then what do you do?" Ruby asked.

"Survive." She replied as she put the picture down on the end table.

"And you do that how?" Weiss asked.

"Take up contracts." Lynn answered. "Some are the righteous, "Save this town from Grimm", while other are mercenary work."

"Like the kind of work Ike did?" Blake asked.

"No, never to that point." She replied.

"So why don't you just do more righteous work?" Jaune asked.

"Because most of that requires a full team, something I haven't had in a while."

"Then where is your team?" Nora asked.

"Nora, that's not very… polite to ask." Pyrrha said, somewhat scolding the pink haired girl.

"No, it's a question I get a lot." The woman said. "Two of them are dead, the other one is currently being hunted by you nine." She said.

"Torchwick?" Yang asked.

"Vered." Ike corrected.

"But that's all I'm saying on the matter. None of this is any of your concern and I'd like to discuss all of this with my nephew, before I talk to any of you about it." Lynn said.

"Well, I should probably be getting back to my room with team MNSN. I'll see you all tomorrow." Ike said.

They each said their individual goodnights as Ike walked towards the door. "And Ike." Lynn said, stopping him.

"Yes?" He asked as he turned the handle on the door and turned to face her.

"I want to talk about… things more in depth tomorrow."

"Alright." He replied simply, before stepping through the door and closing it behind him.

The room fell silent around the nine still in the conjoined dorm. Lynn sighed and said, "So, what kind of weapons do you all use?"

"Are you a weapon nut too?" Yellow asked exasperated.

"Yes, I am actually." The woman replied with a smile.

"Yay!" Ruby cheered, and dashed over, enveloping the woman in a hug. "We're going to be best friends!"

Lynn simply rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face never faded.

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**So, nothing super important happened in this chapter, kinda just wanted to introduce Lynn a bit more. Next chapter I do plan on the next chapter being a bit more important and dropping something that I hope is unexpected, so be excited about that. Anyways, there's nothing else to really say here, so don't forget to leave a review or send me a PM so I can read your feedback. Bye!**


	58. Chapter 6: Heritage

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm pretty good myself, seeing as I played Cards Against Humanity in my Calc class today. Also, the next chapter will take a little longer to get out. I'll be heading down to Florida for a week on my Senior Trip, starting tomorrow and won't be taking my laptop with me. I will have my phone though, so I can still reply to PMs and Reviews. Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

Ike opened his eyes slowly as sunlight broke through the slightly opened curtains. He shielded his eyes from the light and groaned as he stood up and closed them once again. However, before he could return to his bed, Sapphire intercepted him. "Good morning, Ike!" She half sang half yelled.

"Sapphire." He replied.

"Yes?" She replied sweetly.

"Don't you think it's a bit early to be yelling?"

"Actually, it's not." Lamar replied from his bed where he was reading. "It's noon."

"You slept in." Nadia added.

"Ugh, sorry." The tired teen replied. "I didn't sleep all that well last night."

"We can tell." Una said. "Get dressed, we only have a few hours before our match and I want to get a little bit of practice in before we have to go fight."

"Fine." He said, a bit upset about having to get up. However, before he could go to the bathroom to change, there was a knock on the door.

Sapphire skipped over to it and pulled it open. "Hel- Wah!" She yelled out as she turned the knob to the door, only for it to be pushed open, knocking her over.

"Ike, we still need to… why aren't you dressed yet?" Lynn asked as she barged in.

"I just got up." He replied, as he collected his clothes.

"Nice to meet you too." Nadia said sarcastically with a smile.

"What are you smiling about?" The woman asked.

"Myself."

"Are you that funny?"

"I'm hilarious." Una said. "Anyways, who would you be?"

"Oh, sorry. Guys, this is my Aunt Lynn. Lynn, these are my teammates, but I'm sure you already know them."

"I do." She replied. "Anyways, hurry up and get dressed, we need to talk."

"Woah, hold it lady." Una said. "We still need to practice for our match today."

"That can wait, this is more important."

"Maybe to you, but to me I doubt it is." Nadia retorted, a hint of anger in her voice.

"I assume you, it is. Now sit down kiddy, I don't want to start arguing with you." The woman replied, dismissing the girl as if she were a bug.

"Look," Nadia said, marching up to Lynn, ready to start an argument, before she was stopped by Ike.

"Don't worry, we'll only be a minute. We can start training right after, okay?"

The girl scoffed and said, "If we lose, it's your fault." She then began to walk towards the door and picked up her weapon as she went.

"Where are you going?" Ike asked.

"Training room, be there soon." She then closed the door a bit harder than needed.

"Did you really have to start trouble?" Blue asked.

"I could really care less, get dressed and meet me in the hall." Lynn said as she left the room as well.

There were a few moments of silence, before Lamar said, "Well, she seemed pleasant."

"Tell me about it." The archer replied.

"So what's so important?" Ike asked as he and his aunt walked down the hall together.

"It's about your father and… well… I don't think you're going to like it." Lynn replied.

"I'm sure I've heard worse."

"First let me ask, where did you get your bow?"

"Vered gave it to me, but didn't you say it was my father's?"

Lynn sighed. "Yes, it was and you just said exactly what I was afraid of." She said. "Before I begin, let me say that your father was not a bad man, he was simply corrupted by Vered. However, I doubt he was the man you thought he was."

"You're telling me he wasn't just a man who worked in the Black Market?" He asked sarcastically.

"No, he wasn't." Lynn replied, any hint of humor drained from her voice. "What did you do during your time with Vered?"

"Mainly hit jobs." He replied. "We just took any work of people with prices on their head."

"Then you did follow in your father's footsteps." The woman said, more to herself than to Ike.

"What do you mean?"

"Let me start at the beginning. While we were at Beacon, Vered was constantly dreaming of power and money. Though, as time went on, he began to think he would get neither from doing simple Hunter missions." She said. "So, he came up with an idea to start taking outside jobs. They began with just simple missions and ones that nobody saw as corrupt, but then he found out where he could make the most money."

"Bounties?" Ike asked.

"Exactly. He told us about this, but he lied at the same time. He was the one organizing these missions, so he never told us the real intel. He would fabricate lies to make innocent people to become murders and terrorists and we believed him." The woman said.

"So you were doing what I was doing."

"Exactly." Lynn replied, disappointment and anger in her voice, but Ike couldn't tell is if was directed to Vered or herself. "I eventually caught on after many of my targets told me who they really were. At first they seemed like they were just lying and I completed the missions, over time it didn't seem like a coincidence that most of my targets were pleading the same innocence."

"He fed me and James the same lies to begin with." Ike said.

"I thought he would. I brought it up to him, your father, and your mother, but Vered dismissed me and your parents didn't believe me. I was outraged. I stormed out of the building and never returned. It was the last time I saw any of them. I hoped me leaving would make a difference, but by the time I caught on, Vered had what he wanted. He had a small army, he had money, and he had power."

"So then what happened?" Ike asked as the two of them walked out onto a balcony.

"I don't know." Lynn said, leaning of the railing. "I took jobs where I could, but by the time I heard what had happened to your parents, you and James had both already joined him. I was helpless to do anything. I knew neither of you would recognize me and I doubted either of you would've left with me."

"You aren't wrong." Ike said sadly. He looked over to his aunt and saw an expression he had seen too many times. She wore a look of shame, disappointment, anger, and above all, regret. Ike realized how hard it was for her to say any of this, for her to retell the story of what seemed to big the biggest failure of her life. "Do you have any regrets?" He asked stupidly.

"Of course I do." She replied, though she didn't snap at him, her voice was washed over with regret. "I wish I would've tried harder to get your parents out, I wish I would've stayed in touch that way Vered never would've gotten to you or your brother, I wish I would've been able to stop a lot of things I couldn't." She let her words sink into her nephew, before asking, "How about you?"

"I wish I would've left sooner."

"Why didn't you?"

"I… I don't know. At the beginning, I thought I was doing the right thing. But over time, he revealed the truth to me and told me what we were actually doing. By then though, I… I… I just don't know."

"You liked the power and the money. You liked having control, didn't you?" Lynn asked.

"Ya, I guess I did."

"You let it taint you, didn't you?"

"I did. Me and James both."

"Don't beat yourself up over it too much kid, you didn't know anything else in life." Lynn said as she wrapped an arm around her nephew and pulled him over to her. "Is that why you're here?"

"I guess so." Ike replied, looking out over the landscape. "I guess I'm trying to become a better person. To make amends for the people I've killed."

"I guess the both of us are." Lynn replied.

"Hey, Lynn?" He asked, looking over to her, but her gaze was fixed on some unknown spot.

"Ya, kid?" She replied, not looking over at him.

Ike looked out to try to find what she was staring at, but saw nothing. She was simply taking in the moment. "Do you ever forget their faces?"

"The faces of the one's I've killed?" She asked.

"Ya."

"Never." She replied, turning her head to look at Ike. He felt her eyes on him and turned as well, meeting her gaze and seeing sadness in it, sadness mixed with a certain intensity. "And I hope I never do. They serve as a reminder of what I've done, what I used to be. They make sure I never become what I once was. They keep me striving to become better every day."

"Do you think you'll ever be able to become good enough?"

"No." She replied, quickly, not even having to consider the word before she said it. "I'll never be able to atone for what I've done, for the lives I've ruined." Blue let out a sigh, his head dropping and looking down at his hands.

"But you still can." Lynn said. The archer looked back up at her, to see her staring out across the landscape. "You can run away from what you've done and you'll probably never be able to repair the lives that have been harmed by your actions. What you can do, though, is make the world a better place. A place where people won't have to do what we've done. Do that, and you might be able to forget their faces, to forgive yourself. Once you're able to sleep at night without having to see them, you'll know you've done enough."

Lynn let go of her hold on Ike and pushed off the railing. "But you can't be thinking about stuff like that right now, you have a fight to win." Her tone had changed and her voice had returned to normal, but the hint of regret and sadness still hung on. "Good luck, kid. I'll be cheering you on in the stands next to your little girly friend." She said, teasing him slightly.

"Ya, your right." Ike said as he looked over at his aunt. "I have to go train, but I'll see you after the match."

"Give them hell." Lynn said happily, as Ike began to walk into the school. "Oh, and Ike." She said.

"Ya?" He asked, turning around to face her.

"I love you." She said, somewhat awkwardly, almost as if it had been the first time she had spoken the words in years. Ike realized that it very well could have been.

"I love you too." He replied with a smile, before walking back into Beacon, leaving Lynn out on the balcony.

She turned and looked up into the sky, seeing a few clouds float by along with a flock of birds. "I'm trying guys." She said to the air. "But no matter what, I'll make sure he's safe. I won't walk away from him like I did to you two. I'll try to redeem myself."

Lynn then turned and began walking back into Beacon. "Even though I know I'll never be able to." She added sadly, before walking back into the school.

**-To the Arena-**

"We are so screwed." Nadia said as she and Ike stood in the middle of the area. The stage had already been selected as a swamp like area, an area with a few scattered rocks and a large mountain, a volcanic flatland with lava plums, and a forest. The other team stood across from them, Brindle Hearth and Jordan Freeman.

Jordan had black hair that reached over his grey eyes. The boomerang on his back stood a few inches taller than himself. He wore a black shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and a cloak that is grey on the inside and black on the outside. On the back of the cloak was an emblem shaped like a hood with the tip reaching down like a beak. Around his waist was an armored belt, which Ike assumed held up the giant boomerang on his back.

Brindle had long black hair that were tied to the sides to form two spikey ponytails. Her haired matched her clothing color wise. She wore a black top with white trimming, two disconnected sleeves, a pair of gloves, and a pair of leggings. Her knees were protected by two black knee pads. Along with her, she had a longsword, its flat grey, the blades edges red, the pommel and guard golden yellow, and the arrow patterned hilt was colored red and black.

"No, they're from Beacon, I know we can take them." Blue said positively.

"You've fought them before?" Una asked.

"Well… no, not really."

"Great, that's comforting."

"Look, we'll be just fine." Ike said.

"How? We've only had 30 minutes of practice together!" Nadia yelled out, loud enough for their opponents to hear.

"You've only practiced for 30 minutes?" Brindle asked.

"Yep!" Nadia replied, obviously upset with her partner.

The two from the other team looked at each other, before Jordan said, "You guys are screwed."

"Thank you, we know that!" Nadia yelled out, even more upset than she was seconds earlier.

"Look, they're just trying to get into your head." The archer said.

"Well, it's working then." The girl from Shade replied.

"The match begins in 3," Port's voice boomed.

"Just calm down and we'll be fine."

"2,"

"Calm down? If you would've cared about how we do here, you would've put aside more time for practice!"

"1,"

"I had important thing to discuss!"

"Begin!" Port called out.

Nadia opened her mouth to talk, but was quickly shot backwards by Jordan's boomerang. Ike looked back as his teammate flew into the woods, where he lost sight of her. He quickly looked back at his opponents as Jordan easily caught his boomerang.

"Hey, kid!" Ike could hear his aunt call out. "If you two don't stop arguing, you're screwed!"

"Thank you, we know that!" Ike yelled back without looking.

Ike decided to regroup with Nadia and quickly retreated into the forest, the other two following close behind.

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**I told you I was going to drop some big news, didn't I? Anyways, there's not a whole lot of other news for the story, so I guess I'll just end it here. Don't forget to send me a PM or leave a Review and I'll see you next chapter. Bye!**


	59. Chapter 7: Throwing Punches

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm pretty good myself, because I'm back from Florida! It was extremely hot down there. Also, I got a tattoo while I was down there too. Anyways, I want to give a shout out to Jack Hunter for letting me use his OCs in this chapter. It helps out a lot, so make sure you go and check him out. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

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"Any plans, genius?" Nadia whispered to Ike from their hiding spot.

"One." He replied.

"Explain."

"You go down there and hold out on defense. I'll use hit and run tactics and drop them down. Hit them when you can, but don't open yourself up too much."

"Sounds risky."

"You have any other ideas?"

"No."

"Then I guess that's what we'll do." Ike replied.

"Alright." Una said, dropping down from the branch.

"We're getting bored here!" Jordan yelled out in the forest. His weapon sitting as a boomerang, but held by a grip running through the middle, a somewhat bored expression on his face. His teammate had her longsword in her hands, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

"Sorry to be late for the party." Nadia said from Brindle's left, Jordan's right. They both instantly turned to face him, their faces straightening, prepared for a fight.

"Where's your friend?" Brindle asked.

"Wouldn't know, someone smacked me with a boomerang and sent me into the woods." She said, a hint of malice in her voice.

"Hey, the match had started by that point!" Jordan said, defending himself.

"Are we just gonna- look out!" Brindle yelled as she dove to the side, tackling Jordan to the ground. She move just quick enough to avoid behind hit by the ice arrow fired from somewhere in the trees. A small ice pillar now sat where it connected with the ground.

Nadia took her chance and tossed her shield as she sprinted forward, smashing the ice pillar. She then jumped into the air and grabbed one of the shards, throwing it down at Brindle, who was on top of Jordan, like a spear. She caught her shield as Brindle stood, pivoted, and slashed through the shard.

Ike rocketed into the fight, unleashing a flurry of attacks at Brindle, which she blocked, but couldn't block the shield throw from Nadia. Jordan charged forward, holding his weapon by the handle in the middle. He swiped at Ike, who performed a backwards handspring and jumped back into the cover of the trees.

Una caught her shield and charged forward, trying to shield bash Jordan who rolled to the side and rose to a crouch, his boomerang having transformed into a bow. He fired a volley of arrows at Nadia, who blocked them with her shield.

Brindle broke her sword into two pistols, and charged forward, as she fired. Nadia changed her attention to the other girl, blocking the hail of gun fire. However, Una was soon hit in the side by an arrow from Freeman, dropping her defense. Brindle used this opening, changed her weapon back into a longsword, and slashed into Nadia, sending the other girl sliding backwards.

Ike flew out of the trees once again, rolling for a landing. He stopped within arm's reach of Brindle and allowed his momentum to carry another half roll. He placed his hands into the ground and shot his feet upwards, catching Brindle's jaw and sending her flying upwards.

Jordan fired another arrow at Ike, who pushed off the ground, dodging the arrow and putting him back on his feet. A second arrow was fired at Ike, who dove to the side and came up in a crouch, his own bow in his hands with an arrow notched. The blue haired teen fired, but his arrow was easily deflected by Jordan as he switched his weapon back into its boomerang form.

Ike charged forward, changing his weapons into their bladed forms. Freeman threw his boomerang at his opponent, who easily dove over it. However, as Ike sliced at the defenseless Jordan, Jordan smirked. Ike's blade caught a sort of force field around Jordan, which instantly exploded, sending him flying backwards. Jordan's boomerang then came back, sweeping Ike's legs from behind and sending him tumbling across the ground.

"It appears Brindle has used her semblance for a surprise attack!" Port announced.

"Brindle's semblance allows her to create a force field around herself and her allies, which will explode upon contact." Oobleck added.

Ike skidded to a stop and ended on his stomach, next to Nadia. "Any new plans?" Una asked, her shield raised defensively in front of her.

"We target the girl." Ike said as he pushed himself back up to his feet.

"Divide and conquer?"

"Yep." Ike said.

"I like it." Nadia said with a smirk.

"You take off running one way, I'll go the other. Hopefully, Brindle will follow you and Jordan will follow me. Then I'll get over to you quicker than Jordan and we can take her out together."

"Sounds like a plan." Nadia said, before sprinting off, towards the volcanic flatland.

Ike broke off the other way, headed towards the mountain.

Brindle and Jordan looked at each other for only a minute, before Jordan followed Ike and Brindle chased Nadia.

"Perfect." Ike thought.

Ike dove over one of the rocks in the new battleground and peaked over it, firing an arrow. Jordan rolled under it and grabbed his weapon, tossing the boomerang at Ike's head. Ike ducked under it, but soon had Jordan jumping over the rock, sword in hand.

The blue archer jumped over a swipe by the sword and switched to his own blades. The two teen locked weapons, with Ike pushing Jordan backwards. Blue then let go of the lock and pivoted around Jordan, who held his balance. Ike attempted to slice at Freeman's head, but was blocked again. Hearing the wind behind him move, Ike flatted himself against the ground, ducking under the boomerang. Jordan caught the weapon, but had to spin to grab it. Ike used the opening and landed a glancing blow and quickly swept Jordan's feet out from under him. Blue tried to switch to his bow and fire an arrow, but was too slow and ended up having to use his bow to catch an attack from Jordan's weapon, which he now held the grip in the middle.

Meanwhile, Brindle slammed her sword against Nadia's shield, throwing her off balance slightly. Nadia used the opening to throw her shield, catching Hearth in the stomach and flipped over the sword wielder. Brindle then turned as Una threw her shield in a curved arc around the other girl. Hearth took the chance to slice at the girl from Shade, but her attack was dodged.

Brindle switched her weapon into two pistols and unloaded into Nadia, who was helpless to dodge. However, Una was able to pull back on the wire connecting her to her shield. The shield completed its arc around the other girl, as the blades on the edge. The rotating blades sliced into Hearth as the wire unwound around her.

Una grabbed her shield as it came back to her, but was slammed with a few more rounds from Brindle. The Beacon girl then reformed her sword and sliced into Nadia with an upward diagonal pattern. She tried to slam her sword downwards on Una, but her attack was blocked by Nadia, who used her shield like a sword and attempted slicing into Hearth, but ended as the hit connected, the air around Brindle exploded once again, pushing Nadia back.

Jordan fired a volley of arrows at Blue, who was hit by a few. Seeing Nadia block another of Brindle's attacks, he decided it was time to end the match for her. Ike performed a backwards handspring, and felt his feet plant firmly on the boulder behind him. He then shot himself off of it, sending himself flying past Jordan and towards the two girls.

Ike flew to the other side of the arena, and towards Brindle who was facing away from him. He planted his feet back onto the ground, slowing himself, and swept Brindle's feet out from under her with his blades. As the girl fell, Ike spun again and changed his weapon into its bow form.

Nadia jumped into the air, smashing the side of her shield down onto Brindle's chest. Hearth slammed into the ground with enough force to cause her to bounce back up slightly. While in the air, Ike notched and arrow and fired into her, sending her flying at the same time as a lava plum erupted. The girl was sent through the lava, burning her and dropping her aura into the red zone.

"And Brindle Hearth is out!" Port announced.

"Yes, the match has now turned into a two vs. one, favoring team MNSN." Oobleck added.

There was no time to celebrate though as Jordan continued the fight. He slashed his sword at Ike, who blocked with his own blades. Freeman then spun and attempted to kick Nadia, who ducked under the attack. However, Jordan carried his momentum and slammed his weapon into the side of Ike's head, causing Ike to slam down into the ground and come back up to his feet in a daze. Freeman blocked an attack from Nadia with his boomerang, letting himself slide back. He then changed his weapon into its bow form and notched an explosive arrow.

"Ike, watch out!" Nadia called out to her teammate. The stunned archer could only turn in time to see the arrow fly at him. Una stepped in between the two, her shield raised, and let the arrow slam into her shield. The blast sent Nadia skidding backwards and slammed into Ike. Ike in turn, skidded across the volcanic ground. He was able to notch an arrow and fire blindly, before he slammed into a wall.

"And Ike Mer's aura has dropped-" Port began saying, before Ike's arrow landed next to Jordan, exploding itself and dropping Freeman's aura quite a bit. "Woah!" Port yelled. "He may have gone down, but not without a-"

"Bang?" Oobleck finished.

"No, now stop with the puns." Port scolded.

Between the two, Nadia had the advantage with aura levels. Hers was still in the yellow, whilst Jordan's hang precariously in the orange. Both of them were unmoving, waiting for the other to make the first move. "I can take him by surprise here." Nadia thought.

A lava plum them erupted in between the two, breaking the line of sight. Nadia used this as her chance and ran backwards, moving behind the wall Ike had slammed into.

"Yay, go team!" Ike said raising a fist in the air, still dazed as Nadia passed by him. As soon as Nadia was out of sight though, he let his arm drop to the ground and let out a pained moan.

The lava plum dropped and Jordan instantly jumped over the crater it had erupted out of. However, he found his opponent missing. Nadia's shield then slammed into his side as she jumped off of a low wall. She caught it in the air and rolled as she landed. As she rose, Jordan slammed his weapon downwards, but Una blocked with her shield.

The hit forced her knees to bend slightly, but she instantly pushed back up, throwing Freeman off balance and his arm into an arc. She then kicked him in the shins, causing Jordan to fall forward. Una then batted him to the side, causing him to skip off the ground once, before he regained his footing and slid to a stop.

Jordan had no time to recover though as Nadia was instantly on top of him. She swung her shield at the boy, hoping to slice into him, but missed. Her attack threw her off balance and Jordan spun around her. He then spun and attempted to slam his weapon onto her, but once he did, he only hit air.

"Boo." Nadia said simply. Freeman attempted to turn and block, but Nadia's shield slammed into his head, sending him flying away and dropping into the red.

"And Nadia Una finishes the match with her Blink semblance!" Oobleck announced.

"Nadia's semblance allows her to teleport short distances, which she capitalized on at the end." Port added.

The crowd around the stadium cheered as Nadia raised her shield into the air victoriously. She then walked over to her teammate who was still laying down on the ground. "You feeling okay?" She asked.

"I'll admit, I've been better." He replied, his voice slightly muffled by the ground his face was in.

"It did look like it hurt." She replied.

"It did. Thanks for stepping in the way though." He said.

"No problem, I know you'd do the same for me. Need help up?"

Ike rolled over onto his back and extended a hand upwards, which Nadia accepted and hauled him to his feet. "I take it we won." He said.

"Ya, now give a little wave to the crowd." Una replied. "They'll love it."

The archer did as he was told and received a roaring applause in return. "Good job Ike!" He hear Ruby's voice cut through the crowd, causing Ike to plaster a smile on his face.

"Way to not screw it up!" Lynn added.

"Gee, thanks." Ike mumbled to himself, but he still saw a faint smile tug onto Nadia's lips.

"At least they're warming up to me." He thought.

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**I have to say, this one was actually really fun to write. There isn't a whole lot of news about the story, so I think I'll just end the chapter here. I hope you all enjoyed and don't forget to leave a review and send a PM. Bye!**


	60. Chapter 8: Vengeance of a Sister

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm pretty good myself, cause I graduated high school! Yay! I'm done, finally! Also, I went to college orientation and met my new roommate and a few friends, which is pretty awesome too. Anyways, sorry it took so long to post this chapter. I got super busy and life kinda just happens and what not. But, I'll try to post chapter quicker in the future. Again, sorry. Anyways, here's the next chapter, enjoy!  
**

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"You'll never beat me old man!" Ruby yelled out.

Qrow simply scoffed and replied, "Your nothin' but talk, kid."

"You can do it Ruby!" Yang called out, cheering on her sister.

"You three are ridiculous." Ike said from his bed, destroying the façade that whatever was occurring between the girls and their uncle was serious at all. He looked up just in time to see the ninja with the blue headband decapitate the ninja with the red headband.

"Soaring Ninja wins!" The in game voice called out. "Total annihilation!"

Ruby simply looked crushed, before bowing her head down in defeat. "Ouch…" Yang commented.

"By the way, don't ever call me, "old"." Qrow said to his niece.

"And if I do?" Ike asked, raising an eyebrow and looking up from his book.

"Then I'll have to beat you too." He said with a smirk.

"My turn!" Yang called out, before slamming into Ruby, tossing the younger sister off to the side and the controller into the air.

"Yoink." Mers said before snatching the controller out of the air and scooting Yang away from her spot on the ground next to Qrow.

"Aww, come on." Yellow wined.

"Hang on Yang, I want to see what the old man can do." Ike said, adding emphasis on the word, "old". He then sat down next to the Hunter.

Drunkle Qrow simply flashed a smile and said, "You're on, kid."

"New challenger approaches." The voice in the game said.

"Pst, Ike." Ruby whispered, creeping up behind him.

"Yes?" he asked in a normal tone.

"Have you ever played this game?" She whispered.

"Nope." He replied simply. "But how hard can it be?"

"Oh, no." Ruby said, as if he had just told her the worst news in the world.

"This should be entertaining." Qrow said.

"This should be quick." Yang added.

"Gee, thanks, Yang." Blue said in a snarky tone.

"Anytime." She replied happily.

"Fight!" The in game man said.

Ike pressed down on each button, one at a time, testing what they did. "You ready yet?" Qrow asked.

"I think so." The archer replied, still looking at the controller in his hands.

Ike's ninja jumped into the air, springing like a rabbit. Qrow's ninja matched the jump and slashed out with its sword, sending Ike's ninja back to the ground.

As soon as Ike's ninja returned to his feet, his foe was upon him. The red ninja led with a kick to the face, which Ike couldn't block. He then began moving back and forth, before crouching and attacking, sending an unjumpable tornado his way. Ike's finger missed the block button and the twister picked him up and spit him back out.

The red ninja jumped into the air, slashing his sword upwards and slashing to the blue ninja, who fell into two pieces. "Soaring Ninja wins!" The in game voice called out. "Total annihilation!"

"That went about as well as I thought it would." Yang said.

Ike simply hung his head in defeat, similar to how his girlfriend did. Ruby quickly joined his side and wrapped her arms around him. "It's okay Ike. Our clan shall not take this defeat lightly." She said dramatically.

"I know." He replied with an equal amount of drama. "Our revenge shall be extracted."

"My turn!" Yang yelled out again, this time slamming into both Ruby and Ike and sending them into a heap away from her.

"New challenger approaches." The game said.

"Now, where was I?" Qrow asked.

"You were telling us about your last mission!" Ruby said, popping up in between her sister and uncle.

"And I was reading a nice book." Ike added as he stood up.

"Not so fast, kid." The drunk said. "You'll want to hear this. You might as well learn about the real world."

Ike sat down next to his girlfriend and behind Qrow as he began his story. "I come across a small village in the swamps West of Mistral." He began.

The man then continued his tale of an eerie village in Mistral. Ruby was completely enthralled, but Ike wasn't as much. He had heard these sort of tales before from others and had seen places like the one being described himself. The low-lifes and thugs at the inn being described would've even described him not too long ago.

"And that's when it happened…" Qrow said.

"What happened?" Yang asked.

"Most likely, a bar fight." Ike said.

"No, I was defeated…" The man said dramatically. "By the mere sight… of the Inn Keeper's skirt length!"

Yang threw a dog pillow so quickly at him the wind whistled around it. "Soaring ninja wins! Total annihilation" The game announced triumphantly for the third time in only a few minutes.

"You are the worst!" The blonde brawler yelled.

"Yep, that was worth the wait." Ike said sarcastically.

Ruby and Qrow simply shared a look and laughed.

"Best two out of three?" Qrow asked Yang, who didn't reply.

"If she's not up for it, I am." Lynn said from the door, drawing everyone's attention. "And you have to admit, Ike that was a pretty funny story."

"Well, I'm not opposed to a challenge, but I'm not gonna go easy on you just because you're pretty." Qrow said with a smirk.

"Good, I won't go easy on you just because you're stupid." Lynn replied with a smirk herself.

"So, Uncle Qrow, did you get in trouble with Ozpin?" Ruby asked, standing on her bed.

"Nah, me and Oz go way back." He replied.

"You mean Oz and I?" Lynn asked, correcting him grammar and taking the control, which Yang offered.

"Whatever." He replied. "We're cool." He said, answering the rest of Ruby's question.

"Cool for an old guy." Yang said to him, causing Lynn and Ike to smirk slightly.

"Not funny." He replied with a hint of anger.

"I think the grey hairs on your head disagree." The archer said as he plopped down next to Ruby.

"I don't have any grey hairs." He said, anger still in his voice.

"Whatever you say." Lynn added. Qrow turned away and faced the screen again, but the woman caught him looking up at whatever hair he could see.

"Hey, so, what are you doing here anyway? I thought dad said you'd be away on a mission for, like… ever."

"Ready. Fight!" The announcer said.

"Well, a professional Huntsman like myself is expected to get results, as soon as possible." The man replied.

"Yeah, I get that." Red said.

"What kind of mission send you away forever?" Lynn asked, somewhat skeptical.

"The top secret kind." He replied.

"What kind of top secret?" Ike asked.

"The kind where you don't need to know what I'm doing." Qrow replied, anger hinted in his voice.

Ike and Lynn both frowned and shared a look. "So much for transparency, huh?" The woman commented.

"Look, lady. I'm not in the business of letting people know what I'm doing. I'm here to protect people because they can't do it themselves."

"Yeah, we were never very transparent in our work either." Ike said.

"And that work would be?" The man asked.

"Hitmen." The aunt and nephew replied at the same time.

"Then no, you wouldn't be, would you?" The drunk said, not hiding his anger well assuming he was even trying to. "It's a good thing I don't do work like you two."

The aunt and nephew shared the disapproving look once again, but decided to let the topic fall into awkward silence.

"Well, we're pretty much pros at this point too." Ruby said, breaking the silence. "Professional Huntresses, I mean… not… hitmen." The girl said, her voice trailing off as she ended her sentence.

"Oh, really?" The man asked.

"Pssh, yeah!" Yellow replied. "Read the news sometime! We totally saved Yale while you were gone."

"We've fought off major criminals and defended the town, I'm pretty sure we've earned a degree of respect." Blue said.

"Funny, because I hear that Vale suffered a Grimm attack after you almost managed to stop a train."

"And close only counts with grenades and explosive dust." Lynn added.

"And they don't give out medals for "almost"."

"They do, and they're called silver!" Ruby cheered.

"Soaring ninja wins!" The in game announcer said.

"Dust damn it." Lynn cursed.

"Total annihilation!"

"Nice try." Qrow said as he stood up. "You almost had me there at the end."

"Well, we helped take down Roman Torchwick." Yang said. "He's locked up in Iornwood's ship and crime's been down ever since. That's basically a bounty mission."

"Or what about fighting off Vered on multiple occasions." Ike suggested.

"And where is he right now?" The woman asked her nephew.

"No clue." Ike begrudgingly admitted.

"Exactly." Lynn said.

"Sure, you may be acting like Huntsmen and Huntresses, but you aren't thinking like them. Do you really think a group of kids could end all crime in a Kingdom?" Qrow asked.

"I mean, I did until you said that." Red replied, poking her fingers together.

"So what, you're saying that we can't take down Vered?" Ike asked.

"Not without help." Lynn replied.

"Or getting yourselves killed." Qrow added.

"Violence hasn't dropped since Roman got nabbed. It's stopped. Completely. No White Fang activity anywhere around the city."

"Isn't that good?" Ike asked.

"No." Qrow replied. "You cut off the head of a Taijitu, but now the second head's calling the shots. That's what Ironwood can't get through that thick, metal head of his."

"You know the General?" Yang asked.

"Hey, I know everybody to some extent."

"Ya, and what do you know about me?" Lynn asked with a smirk.

"That you're an ex-hitwoman and have quite a pretty face." He replied with a smirk. Lynn's smirk dropped, but she felt the blood rush to her cheeks.

"I was a member of the coolest team to ever graduate Beacon!" The man boasted before pulling out an old picture. The four others crowded around to look at the well-worn photo. Qrow sighed and said, "Team STRQ." He then casually moved his thumb over the raven haired girl in the picture.

There were multiple spots where it seemed like liquid had touched and stained the photo. Ike couldn't tell if they were from whiskey or tears. Probably a combination of the two.

"Wow, the years haven't been kind to you, have they?" Lynn asked mockingly to the drunk.

"I look the exact same." He replied.

"Ya, except for those grey hairs." She replied with a smirk.

The man scowled, but changed the subject back to the picture. "That's where I met your parents." Qrow said. "We were pretty well know back in the day."

"Well known for crummy fashion sense." Red quipped, earning a snicker from the aunt and nephew.

"Hey, we looked good! And I have a number of inappropriate stories that'll back that up." The Hunter replied.

"Yep, didn't need to hear that." Ike said.

"Please, we all have stories like that." Lynn replied.

"Care to share?" Qrow asked.

"No." She replied instantly.

Qrow then pulled the picture away, noticing Yang still looking at it until the moment it was gone. "Well I can share mine with you later." He said with a smirk.

"Ewww, gross!" Ruby said.

"Anyway, I'm too old to be hanging out with a bunch of kids. You're gonna cramp my style."

"Told you you were old." Lynn said.

"Look. Just remember that you've still got a long way to go. And don't think for a second that graduating means you're done. Every day out there is worth a week in this place. You three, you're gonna go far. But only if you keep learning. If you never stop moving forward."

"Any wise words for me?" Lynn asked snidely.

"Ya, don't get yourself killed trying to chase ghosts." He replied seriously. "I can see it in your eyes that that's why you're here."

The man then walked out into the hall, leaving the other four still in the room.

"Speaking of chasing ghosts, Ike we need to talk more." The woman said. "Alone."

"Lynn, whatever you can tell me, you can tell them. They know everything." The archer said.

"Everything?" She asked.

"Yep." Yang answered.

"Even what I told you today?" Lynn asked.

"What did she tell you yesterday?" Ruby asked.

"I'll take that as a no." The woman said. "Shall I tell them, or do you want to?" She asked.

"Be my guest." Ike answered.

"As you know, Ike used to work for Vered. And, as you can probably guess, I used to work for him too as did Ike's parents. I preformed operations similar to Ike under the same lie that my former teammate, Vered, fed me."

"Former teammate?" Yang asked.

"Yes, we actually graduated from Beacon. Team RLVR. Reef, Lynn, Vered, and Amy."

"Ike, are Reef and Amy…" Yang began saying.

"My parents, yes." He interrupted.

"Anyways, I blindly followed these jobs until I learned I wasn't hunting criminals, I was just hunting people. I told everyone what we were doing, but nobody believed me. I left, but I couldn't change anything."

"So, why didn't you come back for Ike and his brother?" Yang asked.

"Because if I walked into Vered's facility, there would be no doubt I would've been killed. By the time that I had heard of Reef and Amy's deaths, I was too late. Plus Ike and James wouldn't have recognized me anyways, let alone left with me. They we filled with so many lies it would've been impossible to convince them that what I would've been able to say was the truth." Lynn answered.

"So, now that we're all caught up, what do you want to talk about?" Blue asked.

"Revenge." She replied, hatred in her voice.

"We've been at that for months now." Ruby said.

"I missed my last shot at Vered and haven't had one since." The archer said.

"I'm not talking about revenge against Vered, that's come afterwards." The aunt replied.

"Then against who?" The nephew asked.

"Whoever killed your father, my brother. I want to find whatever contract he had taken and finish it."

"What makes you think it was a target that killed him?" Ike asked.

"There's no other answer. You have his bow, which meant it had to have returned to Vered somehow. I'm guessing Reef died somehow, Amy was only able to grab his bow, and ran away."

"How can you be so sure?" Blue asked.

"Ya, what if Amy finished the contract?" Ruby asked.

"There's no way she could've. She died because she gave up, without Reef she wouldn't have seen a point in continuing fighting. Plus, I fought with them. They relied on each other to fight and fought together well. The obliterated their opponents in the doubles round of the Vytal Festival Tournament, but your dad couldn't win in the singles without her."

"Then where do we start?" Yang asked.

"We don't." Lynn said. "Ike and I, will start hunting down leads."

"You can't just go off and do something like this on your own." Yang said. "Let us help."

"And get more blood on my hands?" Lynn asked. "Whoever we're tracking down was able to kill off a Hunter with years of practice. I'm scared of bringing Ike along with me. There's no chance I'm babysitting a whole fleet of children."

"We can help though." Ruby said.

"No, she's right." Ike said. "I don't want to put you into any more danger."

"We're training to be Huntresses!" Yang emphasized.

"Exactly, your training. You're training." The woman replied.

"And so is Ike." Ruby said. "He'll be in just as much danger."

"But this is a family matter." Lynn said.

"And we're his family." Yellow answered.

"Look, you two aren't coming with and neither is anyone else. It's going to just be Ike and I. That's all I'm taking."

"But-" Ruby began saying.

"No, I'm done with this conversation." Lynn said as she began to walk out of the room. "Trust me, this is for your own good. These people aren't nice and won't hesitate to kill you." She left the room and closed the door behind her.

"She acts like we're children." Yang huffed.

"Because we are." Ike replied. "If they were able to kill a Hunter, they'll be able to kill us too."

"But that was years ago." Red said.

"Exactly my point. You heard Qrow. A day out there is worth a week in here. If they had a hit on them, I doubt they're some pushover."

"Ike-" Ruby began saying.

"Ruby, I know you're only trying to help." The archer said, cutting her off. "But I've seen these people. I've fought these people. I've killed these people. It won't be an easy job and it's not one I'm bringing you into."

"But, what if you get hurt?" Ruby said, pointing out a worst case scenario.

"I've done jobs like these for years. I'll be fine." He replied. "Plus, if I bring you along, you could get hurt too and I'm not allowing that to happen." The boy then walked up to his girlfriend and kissed her forehead. "I need to get back to my team. I'll see you later."

"Bye." The girl replied. "I love you."

"I love you too." He replied, opening the door and stepping through.

As the door latched, Ruby sighed. "I'm sure they'll be fine." Yang said.

"I hope so." Ruby replied.

Vered pushed through the White Fang guards at the camp, his own warriors having their weapons ready to fight. Nobody stopped the group as they walked pushed open the flap to the large tent in the camp. "You in charge here?" Vered asked.

"Who's asking?" A Bull faunus asked. His eyes were covered by a bone mask, his hair red and messy, and he wore a long black coat.

"Someone who has an offer that could benefit the both of us." The human replied.

"The last human who walked in here with an offer had much more tact than you."

"Sounds like they had fewer weapons than me."

The faunus smirked and said, "Less quantity, more quality."

"Regardless, are you willing to listen to me or not?"

"The White Fang isn't a group of mercenaries." The faunus replied.

"Good, because we are. And we aren't interested in you and your little revolutionary group. We're interested in your boss."

"I am the boss here."

"No you aren't." Vered countered. "You're just a pawn in another person's plans. I believe her name is… Cinder?"

"If you know who she is, then why are you here?"

"Because I need to know where to find her."

The faunus laughed and said, "Do you honestly think I would tell you where she is?"

"Tell me or Hotel shots one of your men."

"You can't be serious."

"3," Hotel pulled out a shotgun, aiming it at a White Fang member's head. The rest of the White Fang drew their weapons and as did Vered's agents. Vered stood still, his face expressionless, no weapon in his hand.

"You're outnumbered."

"Less quantity, more quality." Vered said, mimicking the faunus. "2,"

"You wouldn't."

"1,"

Adam saw Hotel's finger tighten around the grip. "Wait!" He said. "Lower your weapons, I'll tell you where she is."

The White Fang lowered their weapons, as did Vered's agents. "Glad you came to your senses. Now, where is she?"

"Beacon Academy. She infiltrated it along with two other people."

"Damn." Vered cursed. He then turned and began walking out of the tent. "Get four of the new members to Beacon immediately." He ordered one of his agents. "Have fake papers from Mistral ready for them. Make sure they won't be recognized by Ike. They're to find Cinder and offer her a proposition."

"Yes, sir." The agent said. "What shall I have them tell her?"

"Tell her that all of our supplies are under her control if she can promise me one thing."

"And that would be."

"That we eventually kill Ike Mers."

* * *

**And Vered is trying to team up with Cinder now. Great, isn't it? I also can't wait for you guys to meet Reef's killer. Anyways, there isn't a ton of news on the story. So, I'll just end it here. Don't forget to leave a Review or send me a PM so I can read your feedback and talk to you. Bye!**


	61. Chapter 9: Forced Ties

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm not terrible, just been working a lot. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter. There's not a ton for me to say about my life, so enjoy!**

* * *

"There you are." Lamar said as Ike walked into the room, his slouched figure and already dreary eyes let anyone who so much as glanced at him know he was tired beyond belief.

"Long day?" Nadia asked.

"You can say so." Ike said as he face planted into his bed.

"This is no time for sleep!" Sapphire announced triumphantly as she jumped onto Ike's bed. The archer didn't even move but simply let his body roll slightly due to her weight creating a small trench in the mattress.

"Yes it is." He replied.

"Nope! There's an ice cream shop down in Vale with a sale going on!" The faunus announced.

"Let me guess, you're going to make them pay for doing something so foolish." Nadia said, uninterested.

"You're so smart." The faunus said, before grabbing onto Ike's arm and attempting to pull him off the bed but failing to do so.

"Just take Nora." He groaned.

"But we need team bonding time!" She announced.

"I will take her." Lamar said, much to the surprise of Ike and Nadia. What surprised them though was that he sounded like he actually wanted to.

"Really?" Nadia asked.

"Yes, it could be fun." He replied.

"Yay!" Nadia said before jumping off the bed and onto the boulder of a man, hanging onto his back. "Have I ever told you that you're my favorite?" She asked.

"No, but it is nice to know." He said as he picked up his weapon. The other two looked at him questionably as he did so. "What?" he asked.

"You gonna be using that?" Ike asked.

"It is always nice to be prepared." He replied before lifting it up. "Here, you will have to hold this." Nebula said as he handed the weapon over to the much smaller girl still on his back. She accepted it with a smile, but it quickly faded as she tried holding the weapon. Lamar's beast of a weapon drug the girl off his back and onto the floor with a loud thud.

"Do you carry this around with you all the time?" The faunus asked, still on the ground trying to lift the gun.

"Most of the time." He replied.

"How?" She asked.

"Strong muscles." He replied before lifting the weapon and placing it on a holster on his back. "You will just have to walk."

"Fine." The faunus said, somewhat pouting as the two of them walked out the door together.

"Well, that bought us at least an hour of silence." Una said to her teammate.

"Thankfully." Mers replied from his bed.

"Why are you so tired anyways?" She asked.

"Training." He replied simply.

"Look, I know you got knocked out today, but you don't have to work yourself to death because of it."

"It's not because I got knocked out today, it's because of… other reasons."

"Like?"

"Like reasons that I'd prefer not to explore."

"Come on, we're teammates, don't we have to tell each other this kind of stuff and what not?"

"It's not something I want to talk about."

"Well then how 'bout I cut you a deal?"

"And that would be?"

"You tell me something you don't want to talk about and I'll do the same, sound good?"

"I suppose." Ike said, as he sat up. "You have to go first then."

"Alright." The girl said, sitting up in her own bed with legs crossed. "I suppose I'll just talk about where I came from. As you can probably tell from how I dress, I come from the desert."

"Shocker." He replied.

"My parents were traveling entertainers. We crossed all over the continent doing whatever acts we could to keep ourselves alive. Then, one day, as we were packing up everything into the wagons there was a sandstorm. I got separated from the rest of my group and by the time everything had settled I couldn't find them. I was only eight at the time, so I didn't know what to do. I went to the nearest town where two men found me crying on the side of the road. They took me in, but it just wasn't the same."

"Then what happened?" Ike asked.

"Well, Auburn and Slate kept trying to help me find my parents, but they never did. My best guess is that the caravan moved on without me and they're still traveling around the continent."

"So, orphaned by accident, huh?" Ike asked.

"Yep." She replied. "So how 'bout you, what's up with the whole training thing."

Ike looked down at his bed and said, "My aunt wants to make sure I'm in top shape before we leave."

"Your aunt's in town?" Una asked.

"Ya, I didn't know it either until a few days ago."

"Parents wanted to keep it a secret?" She asked.

"No, not really. She's just… estranged."

"I see, well that can happen with families. So why does she want to make sure you're in peak form?"

The archer looked up and said, "That way my father's murder doesn't kill me to."

There was a moment of silence, before Nadia said, "I can see why you don't want to talk about this stuff now."

"Ya, he got killed by someone, my mom died of grief shortly after, and then my brother died on a mission about a year ago."

"So, she's all you got left then?"

"As far as I know. I didn't even know she existed until a few days ago."

"I'm… uh… I'm sorry to hear that." Nadia said awkwardly from her bed.

"That's not even the half of it." Ike replied.

"Well, want to go for another round then?" The girl from Haven asked.

"Sure, go ahead."

"The parents that I lost during the sandstorm weren't even my birth parents."

"Who were your birth parents then?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. Being the kind people they were, they sold me off to slavers. Don't know why and don't know who they sold me to. All I know is my traveling parents broke me out one day and I never looked back."

"My turn?" Ike asked. He only received a nod in response. "I used to be a hitman."

"Sounds like a fun life." The girl said sarcastically.

"It was. A guy named Vered used my brother and I to kill off contracts. Used my parents for the same reason. That's why my father died, that's why my mother died, and that's why my brother died."

The was a long moment of silence, before Nadia said, "Well, this is depressing."

"Sure is." Ike replied.

"Maybe this wasn't the best idea."

"I don't know. It's nice getting to know you."

"I suppose I like learning about you too." She replied. "If we're forced to be on a team together might as well enjoy it."

"Well, anything else I should learn about the orphan from the desert?" Ike asked.

The girl thought for a moment, before replying, "I like to read."

"Well then you are talking to the wrong person. Blake runs through books like it's nothing."

"Blake…" The girl said, trying to remember the face the name belonged to. "Is she the faunus?"

"Yes." Ike said. "Wait no!" He instantly said, trying to correct his mistake. "I have no clue why you'd think she's a faunus."

"Because she wears a bow shaped like cat ears that twitch?"

"Honestly, were we the only ones who didn't see that?" Ike asked himself. "Okay, yes she's a faunus, just don't let her know I told you."

Nadia laughed a bit, before saying, "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

The door then flew open and in walked the other two members of team MNSN. "I am sorry, but if the ships are not running then we cannot go down to Vale." Lamar said.

"But isn't there a secret passage way or something?" The faunus girl asked.

"Ike would be the one who would know." The big man said, looking over at the blue haired leader. Sapphire's eyes followed Lamar's over to Ike, who sat on his bed.

Ike saw a large amount of hope in the girl's eyes, but couldn't read Lamar's expression. Lamar wore a mix of nervousness and joy. It was something that he could recognize. He had a crush. "As far as I know, no." He said. "Sorry."

"Aww, man." The girl said. She then quickly turned on her heel and looked up at Lamar. "You have to promise that we'll go out for ice cream first thing tomorrow morning."

Lamar simply smiled and said, "Yes, I promise."

The faunus held out her pinky finger, confusing the big teen. "Well, come on."

"What?" He asked.

"Promise."

"I already did."

"No, a pinky promise, that way you can't break it." She said. "Here, you just have to wrap your pinky around mine." The teen did as he was instructed. "Good, now if you break that promise, I get to cut off your pinky."

"Wait, what?" He asked. He then looked to Ike and Nadia, both of whom gave shrugs that didn't help his uneasiness.

"Actually, Lamar, there's something that I wanted to show you." The blue haired teen said, standing up from his bed.

"And that would be?" he asked.

"It's a surprise." Ike said in spectacular fashion. "Just follow me."

"I'll come too!" Dente added.

"No, Sapphire, you stay here. This is something that I only want to talk to him about." He said. "Plus, we wouldn't want Nadia to get lonely."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll be just fine." Una replied.

"Nah, Sapphire, stay here and keep her company."

"Will do!" The faunus said with a salute.

"Wait, no, you can't leave me here like this." Nadia said as M and N began leaving the room. "Please, take me with you!" Nadia said overdramatically as the door latched.

"What did you want to show me?" Nebula asked Mers as they walked down the halls of Beacon.

"The pathway that leads from Beacon to Vale." He replied.

"I thought you said there was no passage from Beacon to Vale."

"No, I said there was no secret path from Beacon to Vale. This one is quite well known."

"Then why are you only showing me this passage?"

"Because if you show up tomorrow saying you found a path from Beacon to Vale that isn't the Bullheads, curiosity will eat her up and she'll be begging you to see show her."

"And this is good why?"

"Because that passage is almost never used, so you two will have more alone time than you would on a ship."

"And why does alone time matter?"

"Because having alone time is the best thing you can have if your trying to start a relationship with a girl." The blue haired teen said as he turned a corner and pushed open a door.

"How-how did you know I-"

"Was into her?" Ike asked, interrupting.

"I was going to say have feelings for her, but yes."

"It wasn't that difficult to tell." Ike said as he led the way into the large room with a doorway to a tunnel. "I remember having the same look on my face as you did when I first met Ruby. Anyways, this tunnel will lead you to downtown Vale not too far from Main Street. I'm sure Sapphire can drag you to whatever ice cream shop she wants to from there."

"Yes, I am sure she knows the paths to many of those places around Vale." Lamar replied. "Thank you for your help."

"No problem." Ike replied as he led the way out of the room with the tunnel entrance.

"So, tell me about yourself." Nebula said as the two walked along.

"Like what?"

"I don't know, hobbies, interests, your favorite color?" He asked.

"Let's see… archery, killing Grimm, and do you really have to ask?" Mers said, answering the final question by pointing to his hair.

"Fair enough. If you don't mind me asking, where did you take Ruby on your first date together?"

"Oh, you know the usual place. Dinner and a movie and then a short trip to the infirmary due to a coma."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, don't worry about that part, I just got shot is all."

"Excuse me?" Lamar asked again.

"A hitman ambushed us and I took a bullet. Fell into a coma, but was eventually woke up."

"Why was a hitman after you?"

"Former boss wasn't too happy that I left."

"Where did you work?" He asked.

"I used to be a hitman myself, but I suppose that's a long story for another day."

"I see. Was it your experiences during that time that caused you to want to become a Hunter?" Lamar asked.

Ike thought for a moment, before saying, "I'm not sure actually. I guess I never really gave much thought to why I came here."

"You didn't?"

"No, I was asked if I wanted to attend Beacon and decided that it would probably be the best way to use the skills that I had already acquired, so I accepted. It also didn't hurt that I learned a pretty girl was going to be there too." The archer said with a smile.

"You came chasing after Ruby?" The giant asked.

"She was a small reason for me attending Beacon, but not the full reason. I guess I was just tired of not doing anything good with my life and saw this as a chance to be able to make myself useful in this world."

"So you came in hopes of making a positive impact in the world."

"I suppose I did."

"That is a very noble pursuit."

"Ya, I suppose it is." Ike admitted with a smile. "What about you?"

"It runs in the family." Lamar said. "My parents were both Hunters, my grandparents and their parents before them were as well. Nebula has been a name associated with Huntsmen and Huntresses for generations."

"So, did you ever consider doing anything else?"

"No, I have not. I have been trained to learn how to fight for as long as I remember."

"Are you happy with this life then?"

"It is a career I am good at."

"But that's not what I asked. Are you happy becoming a Hunter or would you rather do something else?"

"I am happy with the career I have chosen. I am able to protect those who cannot protect themselves and spread joy throughout the world."

"But, you know that may not always be the case, right? No matter how happy things may seem now, we aren't walking into a profession that is known for workers having long lives."

"Yes, I know. However, I would be able to do the most amount of good in the world by following this career path."

Ike simply smiled at his teammates words, feeling the honesty behind them. "That is a very noble pursuit." Blue said, mimicking Lamar's words.

"Thank you." Nebula replied with a smile of his own.

The two male members of team MNSN walked back into their room to come across a scene that surprised both of them. "How are you so good at this?" Nadia asked, anger extremely apparent in her words.

"Practice and a tactical mind." Sapphire replied as she jumped one of her own checkers over three of Nadia's in a row. "King me!" The faunus proudly yelled with a grin.

Una looked down from the board, back up to Sapphire, and back down to the board, before she hooked her fingers under the cardboard Checkers board and flipped it into the air, scattering the pieces around the room. "Ike's fault." The desert walker said in her normally uninterested tone as she flopped back down into her bed.

"How?" He asked from the doorway.

"You shouldn't have opened the door so quickly, it startled me."

"Aww, Ike! Why'd you have to ruin our game?" Sapphire asked.

"Yeah, good job Ike, and I was having so much fun too." Nadia added.

"We could set the board back up; I think I remember where most of the pieces were." Dente said as she began picking up red and black circles from the ground.

"You know, I would really love to, but we'll never be able to perfectly replicate it." Una replied.

"Darn. Why'd you have to screw it up, Ike?" The faunus asked.

"Sorry Sapphire, I'm sure I'll find some way to make it up to you." He said as he passed by her and patted her head.

"Sapphire." Lamar said to the faunus.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Seeing as we cannot go out, would you like to explore Beacon with me?  
He asked.

"Sure, I don't have anything better to do, since someone ruined my Checkers game." The girl said, glaring darts at Ike.

"Excellent, let us leave." He said, opening the door for the girl.

The two left the room, leaving the boy from Beacon and the girl from Shade alone. "There's a path from here to Vale, isn't there?" She asked.

"Yep," he replied simply.

* * *

**And that's that. I'll try to elaborate into team MNSN more as we go on, seeing as I haven't paid a ton of attention to them lately. Anyways, i don't have anything else to add, so I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time. Bye! **


	62. Chapter 10: Friends in Low Places

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm pretty good, but I've had a long weekend. Anyways, not much has happened to me, so I'll just get right to the chapter. I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

"Just jump already!" Sapphire said excitedly.

"Are you sure?" Ike asked as he looked off the edge of the spire. The two of them were currently standing on the top of Beacon's highest tower, with Ike looking off the edge.

"Ya, it'll be so much fun."

"I doubt that for some reason." Ike replied.

"Just do it." Nora added, now appearing to his right."

"Hey kid, wake up." He heard an unknown voice say.

"What?" he asked.

"I said, 'Do I have to push you off?'" The faunus asked.

"Wake up already." The voice said again.

"There it is again." Mers said to himself.

"Nora, just do it." Dente told the other bubbly girl.

"Yes Ma'am." The orange haired girl said, with a salute, before giving Ike a shove and sending Ike off the edge of Beacon's highest point.

"I said get up!" Lynn whispered as she roughly shook her nephew.

Ike's eye's popped open and he sat up. "What?" He asked.

"Shh, keep your voice down. I don't want to wake your teammates up."

"Lynn?" Ike asked, still waking up.

"No, it's the dust damned Tooth fairy." The woman replied sarcastically. "It's a wonder you get up in the morning with an alarm. I had to all but throw you out the window to get you up."

"It's one in the morning." Ike said, checking his scroll that gave off a blinding light.

"Ya, I let you sleep for a bit."

"I slept for two hours."

"And when I was hunting a crime lord in the swamps of Mistral I didn't sleep for two days. You want to complain or get dressed?" The woman then threw Ike his usual attire.

"What are we even doing?"

"We're hunting."

"At one in the morning?"

"We both know that's when the streets come alive."

"I don't think there are any Grimm in the streets."

"I'm not talking about Grimm, kid." Lynn said. "We're hunting for information and for your father's killer. You got 5 minutes to get ready, I'll be waiting outside the door." The woman said, before crossing the room silently and leaving the room without making a sound.

Ike looked between the clothes in his hand and his bed, debating whether he should follow her or go back to sleep. "She'll just wake me back up if I go back to sleep." He said to himself with a sigh.

"So where do we start our hunt?" Ike asked as the two of them walked through the path leading from Beacon to Vale. There were a few couples walking back to the school on the path, but other than them it was barren.

"I know a place."

"Would it happen to be run by a man named Junior?"

"No, who's Junior?" Lynn asked.

"A man who was unfortunate enough to get on Yang's bad side."

"Yang…" The woman said, trying to put a face to the name. "She's the blonde one, right?"

"Yep."

"What's so bad about her bad side?"

"Oh, you don't want to know."

"I'm sure it's nothing too bad."

"She destroyed an entire night club full of guns for hire."

"And I destroyed an entire town full of guns for hire, what's your point?"

"You destroyed a town of guns for hire?" Ike asked.

"Ehh, close enough. I doubt any of them felt too good when they woke up in the morning."

"So where would this place be?" The nephew asked.

"It's on the South side of Vale. It's an old bar that I used to go to quite frequently with a few of the other guys that worked for Vered."

"You think they'll let me in?" Ike asked.

"They never checked anyone's age when I used to go there. But don't get anyone's idea. We're here to get information, not to get drunk."

"Do you honestly think I'd get drunk when we're doing something like this?" Ike asked, giving his aunt a look that mimicked his words.

"Don't look at me like that." She replied. "I was your age once too and most parties are more fun with booze there."

"How often did you go to these parties."

"Your parents used to drag me to them all the time. To be honest, I hated going to them. I was usually surrounded by drunk idiots and didn't have enough personal room." Lynn then sighed and said, "But your mom and dad loved going to them and I'll admit, it was kinda fun to get a bit tipsy every once in a while."

"How often was every once in a while?" The teen asked with a smug look.

The woman looked down at him and then replied by saying, "Get that stupid look off your face." She said it was a smile though. "Every once in a while was usually less than your dad's every once in a while."

"He drunk that often, huh?"

"Please, he thought he was the king of Beer Pong."

"I'm guessing he wasn't."

"Worst player I'd seen in my entire life. It always amazed me that he could hit anything with a bow and arrow after seeing how bad he was at it. Of course, that never stopped him from challenging everyone in the room." Lynn just smiled and shook her head. "But don't you get any ideas from what I'm saying."

"Don't worry, I'm not." Ike replied with the same smug smile.

"You look so much like your mother when you smile like that." The woman then sighed and said, "But those days were so much more simple. That was back before we had hit contracts, bills to pay, and constantly fought with each other. Back then we didn't have to worry about crime lords and Grimm invasions. We could just be kids and enjoy ourselves. So enjoy yourself now, after a few years the real world's gonna hit ya, and it won't be fun."

However, Ike picked up on a few words in particular within what she said. "How often did you guys fight?"

Lynn sighed and said, "We…" She sighed and said, "Look, your parents and I loved each other to death. We just didn't always agree on things. Especially when it came to our line of work. They bought into whatever lies Vered fed them, I… I was more skeptically. They saw him as a trusted friend and didn't think he'd ever lie to them. I never really liked him. I always knew he was plotting and scheming. I just didn't know he'd go to the lengths he did with those plots."

"And you didn't leave on good terms with them, did you."

"No, unfortunately I didn't."

"What were your last words to them?"

"Ike…"

"No, I want to hear this."

"I told them, "One day, you'll learn! You'll see that I'm right and how terrible this man is!" Then I slammed the door shut and I was done with it. Never saw them again."

There was a brief moment of silence, before Ike replied by saying, "I'm really sorry Lynn."

"I feel bad for you. At least I knew them, you probably don't have any memories of them, do you?"

"A few. I remember my mother cooking breakfast, my dad pushing me on the swing in the park, and a few other things, but other than that, nothing."

"You were so young when they passed away. I wish I could've helped in some way."

"Don't worry, I know why you couldn't."

"No, I could've, but instead I sat around and was afraid of getting killed. I could've stepped in, but I didn't."

"Lynn, I know you did the best you could've."

"I just left them there. I let them die. I never kept track of you and James. There are so many different things I could've done, but I didn't."

"Then let's stop worrying about the past and start thinking about the present."

"Ya, your right." The woman said. "Don't worry, I'll find some way to make it up to you, kid."

"Thanks Lynn, but you don't owe me anything."

"Then we see this situation in a different light." Lynn said, as the two walked off of the path into Beacon and began heading to the Southern part of town.

The place smelled of cigarettes and, well, Qrow. A thin haze vailed the interior of the bar, a haze that could be attributed to the smoke rising from the multiple smokers in the building. As the door swung open and a man stumbled outside, a small portion of the smoke followed behind him into the night.

Lynn caught the door as it swung shut and pushed it open once again, giving both Ike and herself enough time to slip into the building before it slammed shut behind them.

The bar was loud with the voices of the various customers. A man who looked to be about Lynn's age stood behind the bar and passed a shot of liquor to a woman sitting on the other side of the bar.

"Have your bow ready." Lynn said to her nephew. She had to say it directly into his ear for him to be able to hear her.

"Why, what are you planning?"

"I have an idea, I don't think things will get too violent, but I just want to be sure you're ready in case they do. Don't try to fight though, you'll need to run."

"I'm sure I can handle a few drunks."

"You'd think so, but a lot of these people are armed and trained to use the weapons they have. Even if they are drunk… well… you've seen how Qrow can fight."

Ike simply nodded in response, knowing that he'd have little chance of winning a fight if these drunks were as capable as Qrow was.

"Well, look who it is, long time no see." The bartender said to Lynn as she sat down on a stool. Ike took a seat next to her. "And you brought a friend… an under aged friend." He said, ending his sentence with a frown.

"We aren't here to drink, we just want information, Tanner." Lynn said.

"I think that's something we all want." Tanner replied. "Unfortunately, you just ordered our most expensive item."

"Come on, do it for an old friend?" She asked.

"Well, I guess it depends on what you want to know."

"I need to know where Ash is."

"Oh, looking to rekindle that relationship, are we?"

"Lynn, can we please hurry this up?" Ike asked.

"Here kid, take a shot of whiskey and keep quiet." Tanner said as he filled a glass with liquor and slid it over to Ike. The small glass stopped in front of the teen, who looked at his aunt with one raised eyebrow.

"Still serving to anyone who walks through the door, I see."

"Look, I didn't realize he's under aged."

"You also didn't ask for an ID." The woman said with a smirk, as Ike sniffed the liquid and recoiled at the smell of hard liquor.

"You're meant to drink it, not inhale it." Tanner said to him.

"I don't think he'll be doing either." The woman said, before grabbing the shot glass and downing the whiskey for herself.

"I see you can still handle your liquor."

"I wouldn't worry about me not handling my liquor."

"So what do you need Ash for if you aren't trying to get romantic with an old drinking buddy?"

"Same reason I'm talking to you."

"Information."

"You're so clever." She said with a smile.

"Well, that information is gonna cost you."

"How much?"

"Couple thousand Lien."

"A couple of thousand Lien?" Ike asked in disbelief.

"What, do you have Nevermore feathers in your ears?" Tanner asked the teen.

"You can't be serious, even a thousand Lien is overpriced for information about a dried up record keeper." Lynn replied.

"Look, if you don't want to pay, you aren't getting the information."

"I'll pay for it, just not that much."

"Why not that much?"

"Because I don't have that much to spend."

"Then you should probably leave, shouldn't you?" Tanner asked with a toothy grin, a smug, toothy grin.

"Ike." Lynn said.

"Yeah?"

"Remember what I told you." She said.

Lynn quickly reached for her fan all the while vaulting over the bar and grabbing Tanner by his neck. She smashed him against the back wall with enough force to shake the shelves on it and knock over a few of the bottles sitting on them.

Ike, meanwhile, drew his bow and notched an arrow as he spun and sat in a crouched position.

As soon as the sound of Tanner smashing against the wall filled the room, everyone instantly became quiet and the sound of gun's being drawn and cocked filled the void that talking had left.

Ike looked around the room in front of him to see almost every person in the bar currently had some sort of firearm aimed at him and Lynn, who was still holding Tanner in the air, against the wall, by his neck. She now had her weapon drawn and was aiming her crossbow at Tanner's eye.

"Lynn." Ike quietly said to his aunt.

"Ike, the grownups are talking." Lynn replied.

"Your little discussion is going to get us killed."

"Just put me down and walk away, Lynn." Tanner said. "There's no way you'll walk out of here alive if you kill me."

"Do you honestly think I care if I die?"

"Seeing as you asked that, I'm going to say no."

"I have no family, no friends anymore, and close to nothing to my name. I could put a bolt into your eye, be shot a thousand times, and still have a smile on my face."

"And him?" Tanner asked, pointing Ike.

"Orphan, about as much to him as there is to me. No matter what way you cut this, you'll find that you'll die in the end. Do you really want that to become a reality?"

"Fine, fine. Ash lives in the Industrial District."

"I need specifics."

"He lives in an apartment on 172nd Street. It's building 5465, apartment 215."

"See, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" Lynn said as she dropped the man to the floor. "We're leaving." She told Ike.

"Thank Monty." Ike said as he stood up and began following her out the door. He kept his bow drawn the entire time.

The door swung shut as the blue haired duo disappeared back into the night. Tanner stood back up, dusted himself off, as picked up a bottle of Scotch.

"Girlfriend?" A woman at the bar asked him.

"No."

"Ex?" She asked.

"Thankfully not." He replied before taking the top off of the bottle and taking a drink out of it.

"Wanna pass that bottle down here?" The woman asked.

Tanner held the bottle for a moment, before saying, "50 Lien."

"What was that about?" Ike asked.

"I had to get information." Lynn replied as the two continued to walk down the street towards Ash's apartment.

"So you hold a man at gunpoint?"

"I got what we came for, didn't I?" She asked.

"That's not the point. You can't just be waving a weapon in people's faces to get what you want."

Lynn stopped and turned to Ike. "Look, everything may be black and white to you, but you're going to learn the world is full of shades of grey."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that it might seem like things are just cut and paste that one thing is bad and another is good. That's not the case though and you'll learn this if you haven't already. You're young and don't understand how these types of things work, but I've been doing this for years, so don't judge my methods."

"Don't speak to me like I'm child."

"You are a child. Your head is getting filled with fairytale garbage."

"Is that what you see me as?" Ike asked.

"You haven't proved it wrong yet."

"What about the fact that I joined the exact same organization you did! The fact that I used to be a hitman just like you! You act like I have no real life experience, when it's the exact opposite. I have nothing but real life experience!"

"What, the fact that your older brother led you through life until Vered could coddle you two? You know nothing of the real world."

"I know enough to understand I shouldn't be threatening innocent people to further myself."

"Sometimes fighting and intimidation is the only way to get results." Lynn said as she began to walk again.

Ike stayed in place though and said, "Funny, Vered told James and I the exact same thing."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lynn asked as she spun on her heel to face the teen again.

"It means that you're becoming just as bad as him."

"Don't you ever compare me to that murderer! You haven't even begun to witness the atrocities that he can commit."

"I'm sure I'll see them before this is all over." Ike replied as he walked past his aunt and back towards Ash's apartment. Lynn followed behind him, neither one of them saying a word to the other the entire way.

Three rapid knocks smacked into the wooden door, echoing slightly inside the apartment. There was no reply so Lynn balled her hand into a fist and slammed the side of it into the door three times, making a much louder knock. "I'm working on it!" A voice came from inside. "Do people have no patience anymore?"

A grey haired man answered the door. He wore a dusty brown trench coat over faded grey and dirty white clothing and had a tired look in his red eyes. "Didn't think I'd ever see you again." He said to Lynn, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.

* * *

**And I've introduced more characters. As you can probably tell, I'm trying to get away from the cannon story more and more as time goes on. I just like being able to explore the world on my own a bit more than sticking to the cannon so much now. If I had that time I'd really love to go back to the first few chapters and adjust those, but I don't have that kind of time right now. Also, I wanted to let you all know that I'll be going on hiatus for the next few weeks. I've been really busy lately between getting ready for college and work and just need a bit more time to focus on those sort of things. But, I will be back, so don't worry. Anyways, that's all I have to say for today, so I'll see you all in a few weeks. Bye!  
**


	63. Chapter 11: Seeing into the Future

**Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm doing pretty good, because this is the first chapter I'm posting from college! My classes start Monday, so my Summer is basically over at this point. I do want to apologize for my hiatus taking longer than expected. It's taken a little while to find a routine down here and to get adjusted. Anyways, I don't have anything too huge in my life going on, so enjoy!**

* * *

"Wipe the grin off your face, you knew who it was before you opened the door." Lynn said as she pushed open the door and, subsequently, pasted the man.

"Nice to see you too." Ash mumbled under his breath. "How've things been with you? I've been fine myself." The man then looked over at Ike and asked, "And you are?"

"Why do you keep asking pointless questions?" Lynn asked from somewhere in the dusty apartment. "You already know the answer."

"Because, believe it or not, my semblance is a bit taxing and I like a bit of surprise in my life."

"Well maybe if you dusted or cleaned in here you'd be able to see something outside and it'd surprise you." Lynn said, walking into view again.

Ike took a better look into the apartment to realize his aunt wasn't wrong. The place was messy with dust collecting on every window and surface within the room. Trash littered the tables and the couch looked to have been slept on more than a few nights.

Ike opened his mouth to say something, but was quickly cut off by Ash. "Yes, I know it's a mess, I wasn't expecting company." The man said with a flash of a smile on both his lips and his eyes.

"I'm Ike M-"

"Mers, yes I know. You're her nephew." The man said, a sense of knowing crossing his face while a look of confusion sat of the teen's. "Nice to see she hasn't settled down yet." The man whispered.

"How-"

"Did I know that?" Ash asked, finishing the sentence, only further confusing the teen. "It's my semblance."

"He calls it Sightseeing." The aunt said from inside the house as she looked at a picture sitting on the nightstand. She sat down on the well-worn couch studying the picture of the team intently.

"It's a nice party trick." Ash said to the teen. Even though Ike could see years of weight being carried in the man's eyes, a disguise of youth shadowed it. A disguise that didn't mask the truth very well. Ike could tell that the man was dangerous but not evil. However, there was still a look in his eyes that Ike couldn't quiet recognize.

Ash then strode over to Lynn and plopped down on the couch next to her. He leaned back into the cushion and wrapped his arm around the woman as he did so, much like a man would do with his girlfriend. "Admiring the sight of me in my prime?" He asked, a toothy grin sitting on him face.

"Do you ever miss them?" Lynn asked. To Ike's surprise, she didn't brush his arm off of her, she lets it sit.

"Every day." Ash replied.

"I know the feeling." The woman replied, before setting the picture back down on the table next to the couch. She then sighed and said, "Thing were just easier back then."

"Yes, they were, but life changes and we do too." Ash said, drawing Lynn a bit closer to him.

"Yes, we do and we keep the past in the past." The Huntress replied, finally brushing the man's arm off of her and standing up.

Ike walked into the room and looked at the picture sitting on the table to see a team of four standing next to each other. Among the four, a much younger version of Ash stood with his tongue sticking out.

"So, I know you aren't here for pleasantries." The red eyed man said.

"No, we aren't." Lynn replied. "We-"

"Need me to tell you some kind of information about Vered." Ash said, still sitting on the couch.

"Would you stop that?"

"You never did like it when I finished your sentences."

"That's because I'd rather just have a normal conversation."

"You really haven't changed, have you?" Ash asked with a smile.

"No, I haven't." The woman replied bluntly.

"You see, Ike." The man said. "Your aunt here used to be known for being… what's the word I'm looking for?"

"Difficult?" Lynn asked.

"I was thinking of something that started with a B, but difficult works. You were always so blunt too, which hasn't changed either, seeing as you barged into my apartment without asking. But you always did that back in the good old days too." Ash said with a wink.

"I'm sorry, but what's your semblance?" Ike asked, still confused about how the man was seemingly reading his mind.

"I can see into the future." Ash replied.

"Only about 5 seconds but enough to many talking to him-"

"Annoying?" He asked with a toothy grin.

"Very annoying."

"You always used to love when I saw into the future. Especially seeing as we used to-"

"Stop yourself right there." Lynn said with a glare that shot daggers at the man. Ash held up his hands in defense but didn't say a word. "Now, we're going to have a regular conversation and you won't be finishing anyone sentences, go it?"

"Fine, fine, I got it."

"Good, then let's get down to business." The woman replied.

"Which would be?" Ash asked.

"We need information." Ike answered.

"Well I knew that already."

"Alright, we need information that only you can access." Lynn replied.

"Which would be?"

"Before I say anything, I need to be sure that you're with us."

"That serious, huh?"

"Ash, will you help us?" The woman said, her tone serious and commanding.

Ash leaned forward and nodded his head, his expression dropping from easy going to match Lynn's. "I'll help you."

"No matter what?"

"No matter what." He echoed. "Now, what is it?"

"We need to know the last mission that Reef and Amy were sent on."

"Any specifics?"

"The target of the job, for now."

"What do you mean for now?"

"We'll need to find their locations afterwards."

"It sounds like you're hunting someone down." Ash replied.

"And if we are?"

"Then I'd advise you to remember that many of Vered's targets were innocent people."

"And some weren't." Lynn replied. "Either way, they're our best lead."

"Best lead for what?" Ash asked.

"Can't you think for yourself? Piece the puzzle together yourself."

"The puzzle I put together tells me you're going after revenge."

"You put that puzzle together correctly then."

"You know what they say about revenge." Ash said, his voice exasperated as if this was a speech he had given many times before.

"That it's a dish best served cold." Lynn replied.

"That, and that, 'Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.'"

"Are you saying that I'm going to die?"

"I'm saying the same thing I've told you every time you've decided to try this. You're going to get yourself killed one way or another by doing this. Whoever you're after, they were strong enough to fight off your brother and Amy. You can't do this alone."

"Wait, every time?" Ike asked. "You've tried this more than once."

"But I'll have you fighting with me and Ike." Lynn replied, completely ignoring her nephew.

"Lynn, answer me." Blue said.

"You've always had me with you, but it's still dangerous, and do you want to drag your nephew into this?"

"He's a strong enough fighter."

"He's a child."

"They were his parent's too."

"He's still just training."

"He's right here!" Ike yelled, frustrated with the two Hunters completely ignoring him. "And I signed up for this. I'm aware of the risks."

The red eyed man sighed and said, "So we'll need three graves."

"Looks like it." Lynn replied, smiling proudly at her nephew.

"So what's the plan? Same idea as last time?"

"No, last time didn't work."

"What was the plan last time?" Ike asked.

"We tried hacking into Vered's mainframe from a remote location." Ash replied.

"But we quickly got discovered, Vered lead us into a trap, and we nearly got killed." Lynn added.

"And the plan this time is?" The archer asked.

"That would be up to your aunt to decide." The future seer answered.

"This time we're going into the heart of it." The Huntress replied.

"You mean infiltration?" Ash asked, stunned.

"That's exactly what I mean."

"That's suicide." The man replied.

"Plus we don't even know where their headquarters are." Ike added.

"Maybe you don't, but I do." Lynn replied with a grin.

"You know where it is?" Ike asked, amazed. He received a simply head nod as an answer. "Then why are we here and not out hunting him down?"

"We'll do it in time." Lynn said. "But we don't have the power to take him on right now."

"What do you mean we don't have the power. We have all the power of Beacon behind us!"

"Yes, and Ozpin is going to launch a full on assault on a morally grey organization that half of the counsel likes having around. We have no support from Beacon. Even if Ozpin wanted to help us his hands are tied." Lynn explained.

"But you still haven't answered how this isn't going to kill us." Ash asked.

"They won't be able to kill us if they don't know we're there." The woman answered. "With your semblance, we'll be able to see if our next move is a bad one and how to prevent it. We'll be one step ahead of the competition and we'll be in and out before they even realize."

"Or they'll see us coming from a mile away through the cameras they probably have set up all over the facility."

"That's why we bring Elysia with us." Lynn said.

"No, Lynn, she quit years ago."

"So did you."

"We aren't dragging her into this."

"Wait, who's Elysia?" Ike asked.

"She used to be on my team at Beacon." The man replied.

"She joined Vered's organization alongside myself, your parents, Ash, and the rest of his team." Ike's aunt added.

"And we all left."

"She only left because Jet convinced her to."

"And then she quit fighting and once Vered murdered him."

"Do you honestly think she's completely done fighting?"

"Yes I do."

"Well I don't. Now, we're going to go over to her house, and we're going to convince her to join us." Lynn said as she began to walk towards the door. A look of determination on her face.

"Lynn, if you're going to go drag her out and force her into this, I'm not coming with you." Ash replied, a similar look on his face. However, Ike could see the cracks in it. He was lying and Lynn knew it.

"Then don't come." The woman answered as she walked out of the apartment and back into the night.

Ike and Ash looked at each other, neither knowing what to do or say. "Damn it." Ash whispered under his breath before he trotted over to the decrepit fridge and reached into the space between the fridge and counter. His hand grasped for something as concentration was etched onto his face. Eventually, his face lit up and he pulled his arm back from the space, pulling out a weapon along with it.

The man pulled out a tommy gun, the weapon had a classic look to it, rather than the modern looks of many of the weapons his friends used. The stock was wood with the rest of the gun being made of unpainted cast iron. "You coming or what?" Ash asked as he held the door open for Ike.

Ike quickly stepped out of the house and the man shut the door behind him. The teen could hear the door lock behind him. "We might need four or five graves by the end of this." The man said as he quickly walked down the stairs with Ike close behind.

"So, how do you and Lynn know each other?" Ike asked Ash as the two of them began to catch up to the woman.

"She drug you all the way out here and didn't tell you about me?"

"She told me absolutely nothing about you. I didn't even know we were looking for you when she woke me up."

"Sounds a lot like her. We have… history together."

"Like friend history, enemy history, relationship history?"

"The last one." Ash replied.

"And as for Elysia?"

"She used to be my teammate. My team join Vered's organization when it was first founded. Elysia was dating Jet at the time and they left shortly after Lynn did. I learned not too long afterwards that Vered was planning on killing both of them, so I left as well and went to go warn them. By the time I got to their house, Jet was dead and Elysia was gone. I found her a few days later and she said that she was done with all the fighting and fell off the face of Remnant. I haven't seen her since."

"And you're fourth team member?"

"That would be Titus. He died on a botched mission."

"Sorry." Ike said, offering his condolences.

"Don't worry about it. It was a long time ago."

"So, why is Lynn dragging you into this?"

"Other than the fact that she knows I'd help her, I used to be the systems analysts for Vered's organization. I know my way through his firewalls and can hack into his mainframes and hard drives."

"So basically you can access any information that he has."

"Exactly." Ash replied.

"And as for Elysia?"

"We need her for the cameras."

"How can she deal with cameras?"

"Her semblance allows her to take control of electrical currents. She can turn the cameras off as we're entering."

"And then we'll never be noticed."

"Assuming she joins us." Ash replied.

"She will join us." Lynn said from in front of the two.

"Just keep telling yourself that." Ash mumbled.

"She might've said she was done, but if I bring up taking down Vered, she'll join in a heartbeat."

"But we aren't taking down Vered." The man replied.

"If we get the chance we will." The woman replied as she turned off the sidewalk and began walking up a driveway.

"So that's what this is all about? Just taking him down?"

"No, this is about revenge, like you said."

"It seems a lot more complicated than that."

"Nothing's ever simple." Lynn said as she approached the door and rapped her knuckles against it.

"You should just let the authorities take care of this."

"The authorities work for the council that won't solve this issue."

"Who is it?" A woman's voice asked from the other side of the door. Her voice sounded caring but had a hint of gruffness to it.

"Old friends." Lynn replied.

The door swung open and a blonde woman stood in the doorway. Her face was young and her eyes a bright blue. He hair was short, reaching only to her ears, but had a slight curl in it. She was a short and small woman. She wore a yellow sleeveless jacket that split open showing off her midriff and reached down to her knees. She wore a black button up shirt below it, which ended in rolled up sleeves at around her biceps. She wore form fitting pants along with knee high boots.

"Oh, it's you." Elysia said, a certain sparkle seeming to fall from her eyes as she walked away from the door.

"Nice to see you too." Lynn said as she stepped into the house with the other two behind her.

"What do you want?" The homeowner asked.

"What, we couldn't just stop by and check in with you?" The blue haired woman asked.

"Not at 3:30 in the morning." Elysia replied.

"If it 3:30 in the morning then why aren't you sleeping?" Ike asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." The woman replied.

"Fair enough."

"So what do you three want?" The blonde asked as she sat down in a chair in the living room. She gestured to the other seats around the room, offering them to her three visitors.

Ike and Ash each sat in an arm chair, while Lynn remained standing, however. "Ask her, she's the boss." Ash replied, gesturing to Lynn.

"We need your help with something."

"Obviously, but I'm not interested."

"You might be if I told you what we're doing."

"Knowing you, it's something nearly impossible, will kill us, and involves me fighting again."

"You got it right on the nose." Ash interrupted.

"Look, we just need you to help us with an infiltration."

"Find someone else." Elysia replied. "You know I'm done with that life."

"What about if I said we were infiltrating Vered's base."

Elysia froze for a second, seemingly afraid that if she moved then it would shatter the reality of what Lynn had just said. "I'm listening."

"We're going to infiltrate Vered's base and steal some information from him."

"What's the information for?"

"Her crazed plot of revenge." Ash said.

"I need it to find out who killed my brother and sister, his parents." Lynn retorted, gesturing over to Ike.

"So, you're her nephew, huh?" Elysia asked.

"My name is Ike, it's-"

"I didn't ask." The blonde interrupted. "It sounds like you're just going in there and won't be dealing too much damage."

"That's the plan." Ash replied.

"But that plan can change." Lynn added.

"Unless you're plan involves me taking off Vered's head, then I don't care."

"I think we can have that arranged." Lynn replied.

"Then we have a deal." Elysia said with a sinister smile.

"Excellent." The blue haired woman said. "I'll have Ash work on gathering any information on Vered or his base. We'll meet back here in a few days, most likely around midnight."

"Sounds good to me." Elysia replied as she stood up and opened the door. "I'll see you in a few days, partner."

"See you soon." Lynn replied as she led the trio out the door and back into the night.

"Are you kidding me?" Ash asked as they walked down the streets of Vale once again.

"What?" Lynn replied.

"We're killing Vered now? Do you have any clue how difficult that'll be?"

"I'm not saying it'll be easy, but it's possible."

"Ike, please, back me up on this."

"Vered's no friend of mine. We'll just tie up another loose end this way." Ike answered.

"This whole family's crazy, isn't it?" The red eyed man asked.

"Look, are you in or out?" Lynn asked.

Ash sighed before saying, "I'm still in. I'll start searching for any information I can find about Vered or anything connected to him."

"Good, Ike, you should probably head back to Beacon before your teammates wake up. I'll be sure to keep you informed."

"Sounds good to me." Ike replied. "Just stay safe, okay?"

"You too." Lynn replied, before giving her nephew a quick hug. "Now, go home. Ash and I will figure things out."

Ike then turned off at the next intersection and began heading back to Beacon, his mind racing with thoughts of what would soon be in store for him.

* * *

**Sorry if the ending seems a bit rushed. If I'm completely honest, it really was. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. There isn't much to announce, but I do want to thank you all for your continued support. It does mean a lot to me, especially the PMs and Reviews. I've been feeling a bit down lately and the your support and feedback always makes me feel better. Anyways, I'll see you in the next chapter. Bye!**


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